A Life on Galactica
by xbleeple
Summary: Stranded amongst the stars after the Cylon attacks, the Adama family struggles to find footing in their new world. Sequel to A Chance on Caprica and A Life on Caprica.
1. Chapter 1

"How are you doing?" Bill asks, leaning against the row of seats in front of where Laura and Aurora were sitting, the young child sleeping with her head in her mother's lap.

"Fine," Laura says as she looks up from the dossier in her hands, "Little nauseous, but you know I haven't flown well in years."

"Want me to get you anything?"

"Mmm, soda water?"

"Sure," Bill says with a smile. He comes back a moment later with a small bottle handing it to her. Laura tucks the dossier into her bag before taking the bottle and opening it.

"Thank you," Laura says after taking a sip.

"You might want to consider a prescription," Bill indicates Mona who was passed out across the aisle. Laura snorts and laughs.

"She's never done well on the heavies."

"We should be at Galactica in about an hour," Bill tells her.

"Sounds good," Laura smiles. She busies herself with a book for the next half hour before Aurora wakes up, stretching out as she yawns, "Good nap?"

"Mmhm," Aurora hums and sits up. Laura brushes her daughter's hair out of her face smiling at her.

"We're almost there, you can see it out the window." Aurora scrambles over Laura's lap, pressing her face to the glass, watching as they continue their approach of the battlestar.

"Wow…"

"Come on, let me get your hair under control before we dock," Laura says as she nudges Aurora back into her seat. She digs a brush and hair tie out of her bag, brushing out the long, black, wavy locks before starting to braid it. She masterfully wraps a hair tie around the end and kisses the crown of her daughter's head, "Gorgeous."

"Thank you," Aurora says before looking around the heavy, taking in the various people milling around, "I thought Lee was coming."

"He is already on Galactica," Laura assures Aurora, "Why don't you wake up Momo while I use the restroom?"

"Okay," Aurora smiles, sliding across the aisle to sit next to Mona. Laura gets out of her seat and heads to the bathroom. She comes back a couple moments later, running a damp cloth over the back of her neck as she plops back into her seat. Laura looks up as her new assistant, Billy, comes over. She had taken a chance on Daniel's younger brother after Daniel had decided to move on to bigger and better things. But Billy worked just as if not more efficiently than his brother, she felt bad for retiring and leaving him to the animals.

"So, once we dock the Commander is going to take you on a tour with Mr. Doral and Ms. Adar. There's going to be a short press conference afterward, just a tease for the ceremony. The ceremony isn't until tomorrow morning, so you'll have the evening to yourself."

"Thank you, Billy," Laura smiles, watching out the window as they approach Galactica before landing in the hangar deck. Laura gathers her things and disembarks with everyone else, keeping a hold on Aurora's hand as they stand on the deck for a moment. The little girl spins in her mother's grasp, taking in the rows of vipers various engineering staff in orange jump suits were working on. Her eyes widen as a live viper rolls in, grinning as Kara hops out of the cockpit, shrugging out of the top of her flight suit.

"Kara!" Aurora calls out, waving enthusiastically at the blonde as she does her post flight check before coming over to the group.

"Hey nugget," Kara says as she scoops up Aurora, kissing her cheek. She salutes Bill and smiles at Laura.

"Sir, Mrs. Sir."

"Starbuck," Bill greets with a smile, "If you're done with CAP, why don't you take our guests on a tour of the flight deck? I have a couple items to sort out before we embark on the ship tour."

"My pleasure." Laura presses a kiss to Bill's cheek before leading Aurora to follow Kara, Mona trailing next to them, as the pilot gives them a tour of the bustling flight deck. Chief Tyrol wipes his hands off before holding one out to Laura.

"Madame Secretary, it's great to have you on board as well as the Princess Aurora," Tyrol smiles at the little girl. Aurora blushes and rests her head on her mother's hip.

"It's great to finally see the ship, Chief. How is everything coming along?"

"Good, we'll be ready to go tomorrow."

"Great, thank you so much for your help getting this taken care of." Kara continues to guide them around the deck before they meet up with Bill back at the stairs.

"Good tour?" Bill asks Aurora. She nods with a wide grin.

"I can't wait to fly!"

"Well you still have quite a few years little miss." Bill tells his daughter with a grin. He takes her hand and starts to guide the group through the ship, giving them a brief but thorough tour before they end back at the entrance to flight deck.

"Madame Secretary, I believe you have a press conference? Why don't I show Ms. Adar to the guest quarters?"

"I think that would be lovely. I will come find you after the press conference?" Laura inquires with a grin. Bill nods and winks at Laura, before continuing back down the hallway with Mona and Aurora.

"Ms. Adar? Lay it on thick, Bill."

"Just trying to keep up appearances," Bill says with a smirk as he opens a hatch for Mona next to his own quarters, "Let me know if there is anything you need, I'm guessing we'll probably get together for dinner in about an hour or so?"

"I ordered turn down service with at least one delectable private waiting for me on my bed," Mona teases as she drops her bag onto her bed.

"Of course Ms. Adar, let me correct that right away," Bill shakes his head with a grin before taking Aurora to his quarters. He puts her and Laura's bags on the couch and looks down at his daughter, "What do you think, butterfly? Cool enough to hang out with your dad for a little bit?"

"Definitely," Aurora says with a grin. Bill chuckles and leads her out of the quarters, meeting up with Saul in the hallway, "Hi, Uncle Saul."

"How is the princess today?" Saul greets, casting a small smile in the little girl's direction as he hands Bill a couple files. Aurora giggles and continues to keep pace as she walks between the two men. After a bit she tugs on her father's pants.

"Where are Zak and Lee?"

"Zak is on shift right now, I don't know where Lee is but I know we'll see him for dinner."

"Oh, can we say hi to Zak?"

"Yes we can," Bill says as they head towards the CIC. He guides Aurora inside and up to Zak's work station.

"Lieutenant, I believe you have a visitor," Zak takes off his headset and turns around, grinning when he sees his sister.

"Hey Ror!"

"Zakky!" Aurora smiles and wraps her arms around her brother, giving him a big hug.

"Laura is doing a press conference right now, but we're going to have dinner afterward, when are you off?"

"Couple hours, sir."

"Come by my quarters when you're relieved."

"Yes, sir."

"Come on, Aurora. Still have more work to do," Bill prompts the little girl, taking her hand again.

"Bye, Zak."

"Bye, Ror. I'll see you later." Bill leads Aurora away and Dee snickers from behind Zak.

"Zakky?"

"Shut up, Dualla," Zak says as he puts his headphones back on.

* * *

Laura spits after brushing her teeth. She rinses out her mouth and wipes the left over white foam with the back of her hand before flicking the light off and padding out to the living area where Bill was tucking Aurora in on the couch.

"Comfortable?" Bill asks as he tucks the fleet blue blanket around the little girl.

"Snug as a bug," Aurora grins. Bill smiles and presses a kiss to her head.

"Your mom and I will just be in the next room if you need anything, kay?" Aurora nods and reaches up, hugging Bill before letting him go. Laura smiles and leans down, giving Aurora a kiss on her head.

"Night baby girl."

"Night mama," Aurora replies with a yawn. Bill stands and turns off all of the lights except for a small lamp on his desk. He leads Laura back to his rack and lets her climb in as he undresses, folding his blues before climbing in next to her.

"So what do you think of the old girl?"

"It's a great ship, the crew respects you…I see that spark in your eye when you're walking around barking orders."

"I don't bark," Bill says indignantly.

"No you don't," Laura smiles and kisses Bill before rolling over, pressing her back to his front. Bill wraps an arm around her waist, resting a hand on her stomach as he kisses her shoulder.

"Hows your stomach been since you've been on board?"

"Better, Galactica's gravity is definitely better regulated than the heavies."

"Well that's what we're known for, our gravity regulation," Bill chuckles. Laura smacks him on the hip as she laughs.

"Shush, Commander. And turn off the light, I'm tired."

"Sir, yes, sir," Bill says, reaching up to turn off the light.

"Thank you," Laura says, snuggling back further before closing her eyes, "Love you."

"Love you back."

* * *

Laura closes the hatch behind her quietly, spinning the lock before taking her shoes off and looking in on Aurora, surprised to find Bill at his desk, reading quietly.

"Hey," She whispers as she walks over to the desk, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, kissing his head.

"Hey, where'd you run off to?"

"Oh you know just down the street," Laura jokes before leaning against the desk, "I just took a couple laps, couldn't sleep."

"You sure you're alright?" Bill asks, looking up at her with concerned eyes.

"I'm great," Laura assures him with a smile, "And I'm 48 hours away from purse bliss."

Bill smiles at her and nods, squeezing her leg. He gets up when someone knocks on the hatch, letting the marine on the other side in as he rolls the breakfast cart in. "Thanks, Jaffee."

"You're welcome sir," Bill shows him out and shuts the hatch again. Laura pours herself a cup of coffee and takes a seat on the couch at Aurora's feet. She watches her daughter sleep as she sips her way through her cup, Bill taking a seat back at his desk and continuing to work through the pile of paperwork.

After a while Aurora starts to stir, cracking one eye open before shuffling down the couch and snuggling up to Laura. Laura smiles and wraps an arm around her daughter, pressing a kiss to her head gently.

"Morning sleepy head."

"Mmmm," Aurora groans, burying her head further into Laura's chest.

"So snuggly," Laura says as she rubs Aurora's back, holding her close as she lets her wake up. Aurora sits up a while later and yawns as she rubs her eyes.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"In the other room, baby," Laura says, pointing her towards the rack area. Aurora yawns a few more times as she scrambles off towards the bathroom. Laura stands and folds up the blanket Aurora had used, setting it on top of the pillow before perusing the items that had been brought in on the breakfast cart. She makes a small plate for Aurora, setting it on the opposite side of Bill's desk with a glass of juice. She lifts Aurora into the chair and pushes her in before grabbing a piece of fruit for herself. Bill finishes the file he was working on and rests his hand on his chin as he watches Aurora eat breakfast.

"How did you sleep?"

"Good," Aurora says as she pulls a grape off of the bunch offering it out to Bill. Bill smiles and takes the green globe, popping it into his mouth, "Your room is pretty cool."

"Well, thank you. I've spent quite a while working on it."

"Mom said you used to spend a lot of time here and only lived in an itty bitty apartment when you would come home, is that true?"

"It is," Bill says with a nod, "Before you were born I used to leave a lot more often than I do now, and I was gone for longer periods of time, and before I met your mom I didn't really do much when I did come home."

"Why did you leave so often? Is it cause of the Cy..Cyli...what are they called again?"

"Cylons," Laura prompts.

"Right, what mama said."

"It was because of the cylons, because my job was to protect everyone if they ever come back."

"Where did they go?"

"No one knows."

"Oh," Aurora says, screwing her face up in thought for a moment before shrugging and continuing to eat her breakfast. Laura smiles and presses a kiss to Aurora's forehead before looking at Bill.

"I'm going to go shower."

"Sounds good," Bill smiles and winks at her.

* * *

Aurora tucks her chin to her front as Laura zips up the back of her dress. Laura straightens out the skirt portion before running her fingers through Aurora's hair.

"Up or down?"

"Up," Aurora requests. Laura brushes her daughter's hair out before working the mass into a clean bun at the nape of her neck.

"Alright, you're all set," Laura says as she turns Aurora around. Aurora smiles and swings her hips back and forth, making her skirt sway, "You look beautiful."

"So do you," Aurora says, batting her eyelashes. Laura laughs and stands, smoothing out her own dress before holding her hand out.

"Let's go find dad." Aurora takes Laura's hand and follows her out to the corridor, walking quietly at her mother's side until they stumble upon Lee and Kara, already dressed in their flight suits.

"Captain Adama, Lieutenant Thrace," Laura greets, smiling at the duo, "Good morning."

"Morning," Lee greets and picks up his sister, "How are you two doing?"

"Good, have you seen your father at all?"

"He's been haunting the hallways I believe, working on his speech or something," Kara says.

"If you stumble upon him will you tell him I'm taking Ror down to the flight deck?"

"Of course," Lee says, setting Aurora back down on her feet, "We'll meet you down there in half hour?"

"Sure," Laura smiles and takes Aurora's hand, managing to navigate themselves back to the flight deck. The vipers had been cleared out for the most part and the stage was currently being set up. The two of them walk over to a viper that Tyrol was working on.

Tyrol pulls his hands out of an area he was working on, slamming the panel shut before starting to wipe his hands off on a work towel. He climbs down the entry stairs and smiles at Laura and Aurora.

"I think we're ready to go. Apollo's going to give her a test drive here in a little bit."

"It looks...perfect."

"It's been a trip, but she is 100% authentic parts."

"Thank you so much for your help with this."

"Anything for the Old Man," Tyrol says with a smile, tucking his towel back in his pocket, "Want to take a look inside Aurora?"

"Yes, please!" Aurora grins, climbing the stairs to peer into the cock pit. Tyrol steps up behind her and lifts her inside, plopping her in the seat. Laura keeps a watchful eye as Aurora gets an introduction to the finer points of the Mark IIs cockpit. She had no doubt that her daughter was going to follow in her father and brother's footsteps and be a pilot. And on this particular day the thought absolutely terrified her for some reason. Laura looks over as Lee and Kara sidle up next to her.

"She looks good up there," Kara comments with a smile.

"She's five."

"You've got 13 years to talk her into education or something else," Lee assures, "Adama's make great lawyers too."

"Did you find your dad?" Laura asks, changing the subject.

"Yeah, he'll be down in about half an hour. Is that enough time to take her out, Chief?"

"Sure, Captain," Tyrol helps Aurora out, letting Lee climb in.

"Gods, this thing is ancient."

"She was the best back in the war," Tyrol says as he helps Lee get settled in before calling for a flight crew. Aurora watches in fascination as the Viper is prepped before Lee slams the cockpit shut, ready to take off. Laura sighs, shaking her head gently as a knot begins to settle in her stomach.

* * *

[TBC]


	2. Chapter 2

"So, the ship docks tomorrow, I have two days of debrief, and then I will be all yours," Bill says as he walks the girls back to their transport, "The movers are..."

"Coming tomorrow and packing everything up, we're meeting them at the cabin on Thursday and staying with Mona tomorrow night," Laura tells him as they approach the heavy. She turns on her heel coming to stand in front of Bill. She leans up and kisses him before sighing and squeezing his hand, "I love you, I'll see you in a couple days, stay safe."

"I love you too. Lee's going to be doing your escort home, so you should be pretty safe," Bill smiles, leaning down to kiss her again before ruffling Aurora's hair, "Don't give your mom too much trouble."

"I'm not trouble," Aurora says indignantly, looking up at Bill with a look very reminiscent of her mother.

"I know I'm just teasing," Bill assures her before looking up at Mona, "Thank you for coming."

"I had a great time. The crew was amazing," Mona assures Bill with a smile. Bill leans down and kisses Aurora's cheek before letting them board with a wave. Laura settles Aurora in the seat next to her before sinking down with a small sigh, looking out the window as they take off.

"Are you okay?" Mona asks as she leans forward towards Laura, a concerned look on her face, "You've been off the last couple days."

"I'm fine...I just have a bad feeling about something."

"Laura, everything is going to be fine, by the time we land you are going to be officially retired and off to live in the woods with your caveman."

"I'll believe it when we get there," Laura says, a slightly sour look on her face, "Will you give me half of one of those things? My stomach is killing me."

"Course," Mona says handing her half a pill. Laura bites off half of it and chews it over before putting the other half in her pocket. She lays her head back and closes her eyes, letting out a long breath, trying to relax. Aurora snuggles into Laura's side, already halfway to a nap herself.

* * *

Laura jolts awake as Billy shakes her shoulder. She rubs her eyes and sighs softly as she looks up at the boy, taking in the worried look on his face.

"What's wrong?"

"There are some reports coming in."

"Reports?" Laura says as she sits up, confusion furrowing her brow.

"Attacks on the colonies," Billy whispers, "The pilots are trying to get more information."

Laura pushes herself out of her seat and looks back at Mona who was passed out. She digs through her friends bag to retrieve her phone, frowning when she doesn't see any messages. She puts the phone back before pulling Billy aside.

"What are you hearing?"

"From what we could determine…the cylons are attacking, all of the colonies have been hit by nukes…someone just pulled the last transmission from Caprica…"

"Sit, don't let her go anywhere," Laura says as she pushes Billy down into her seat before approaching the cockpit. She knocks on the door before going in, finding one of the pilots clutching a transmission, anxiety flitting through his face, "Caprica is gone?"

Laura studies the look on the man's face, resignation taking over her own.

"Caprica and three other colonies," He tells her. Laura takes the transmission and skims it over. The pilot shakes his head before looking at the door behind Laura, "I should make an announcement…"

"I will take care of that," Laura assures him, "See if you can contact the Ministry of Civil Defense and see if we can do anything to help."

Laura slips out of the cockpit, the transmission still grasped in her hand as she goes to talk to the rest of the passengers, adrenaline starting to thrum through her veins as she attempts to take charge of the situation. After she gets everyone calmed down, she kneels down next to Billy and hands him a couple pieces of paper.

"This is the passenger list. I need you to keep track of it." Billy nods, taking the paper wth a shaking hand. Laura stops and squeezes his hand, "You okay?"

"Uh…yeah, I'll be fine," Billy assures her with a small smile. Laura looks over as the pilot tries to get her attention. She straightens back up and wrings her hands once.

"Come get me if either of them wake up."

"Yes, maam." Laura slips away at a slightly hurried pace, taking the proffered comm link once she gets settled in the cockpit. She talks for a while with the only person they were able to get a hold of. She'd only talked to Jack at a couple cabinet functions, but could picture his face in her mind as she listened to the chaos in the background.

Her attention snaps away as she listens to the pilot talk to Lee about an incoming nuke. Gods…she had completely forgotten about her son flying along side them. She watches in horror as Lee manages to take out the nuke before starting to drift aimlessly. The pilot begins guiding him to their cargo hold as Laura directs her attention back to her own conversation, keeping just the slightest ear on the pilot.

* * *

Laura launches out of her seat as Lee comes in, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Thank gods you're okay." Lee hugs her back, silent for a moment before pulling away. He greets the pilot as he stands, ready to leave, and thanks him for the rescue.

"Don't thank me, thank her," He says before slipping out of the room. Lee catches the end of Laura's directive to Billy and turns his attention back to her.

"Survivors?"

"There are a lot of civilian ships out there, damaged, losing power, low on supplies…we have room for 500, and we're going to need every last bit of it."

"We don't even know the tactical situation out there," Doral interjects trying to get Lee to see Laura didn't know what she was doing. Laura bites back her first response before taking a deep breath.

"I don't think it takes a degree from the Academy to know that we're losing, wouldn't you say, Captain?" Laura asks Lee pointedly.

"Right," Lee agrees with a nod.

"So, we need to pick up as many people as we can and find some where we can touch down. Captain Adama, would you mind taking a look at the navigational charts and see if you can find us somewhere to lay down and hide?"

"Of course," Laura offers both of them a smile before disappearing through the doorway. Lee taps Doral on the chest with his gloves and a grin on his face.

"Lady's in charge…oh and I probably should have mentioned she's my mom," Lee says before following Laura's path. He stops her as they get to the other room, pulling her aside slightly, "Have you heard anything?"

"Not yet," Laura tells him, "You weren't catching anything that the pilots weren't were you?"

"No," Lee shakes his head, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know how to answer that," Laura says as she turns away, heading for the cockpit. Lee follows her, letting her take a seat as he stands, hand braced on the ceiling. They listen quietly as the pilots continue to search for any leading communication before they stumble onto and tune into a broadcast.

" _This is an official Colonial Government broadcast. All ministers and officials should now go to Case Orange. Repeat: This is an official Colonial Government broadcast. All ministers and officials should now go to Case Orange_." Laura looks straight ahead and sighs with a hard swallow.

"It's an automatic broadcast. It's only supposed to be played in the event that the president, the vice president, and most of the cabinet members are incapacitated…or killed," She tells them, not daring to venture a look at Lee. She rattles off her code to be sent back before thanking them and slipping out of the cockpit. Lee comes out a couple minutes later, finding her next to Aurora, stroking the sleeping girl's hair mindlessly. He takes a seat across from her and swallows as he looks at the two of them for a moment.

"How far down?" Lee asks.

"Forty third…and I knew every single one of the forty two ahead of me…probably longer than I've even known your father," Laura says, stopping her hand and looking at Lee, "I was so close to getting out, Lee, so close."

They both look up as the pilot comes over, handing Laura the reply transmission. Her eyes quickly skim the page before handing it back. She exchanges the blanket around her shoulders for a jacket and stands.

"We will need a priest," Laura tells the pilot. He nods quietly and scurries off. Laura leans down and presses a kiss to Aurora's head, waking her up gently. Aurora stretches out and yawns as she sits up.

"Are we home?" She asks, looking around the empty cabin before noticing Lee, "I thought Lee was flying outside."

"He was, we picked his ship up," Laura says before squatting in front of Aurora, "You remember how I told you about the Cylons and what Daddy and Lee and Zak and Kara's jobs are really for?"

Aurora nods, rubbing her eye again. She looks back and forth between Laura and Lee, a worried look settling in on her face.

"What happened?"

"The Cylons attacked home and all the other planets," Laura starts, trying to think on her feet how much she should tell her daughter, "And we can't go back."

"Why?"

"I don't know, butterfly," Laura says as she strokes Aurora's cheek, her own tears starting to fall again as she wraps her arms around the small body, holding her close, "I don't know."

* * *

Lee hands Laura the transmission from his father.

"He's taking command, rendezvous is at Ragnar." Laura takes the transmission and bites her lip before handing it back.

"Tell him we need Galactica here, we've got four ships lined up for rescue."

"He's…not gonna like that."

"At this point, I don't know that I care, Lee," Laura says, glancing up at him, "It's an order from the President."

"Yes, sir," Lee says as he starts to compose the reply. Laura takes a seat across from Mona and Aurora and sighs.

"Galactica is still functional. Bill is taking command of the fleet, wants us to meet him at some place called Ragnar."

"It's the Ragnar Anchorage, it's a munitions supply locker in the center of a storm," Mona says, "Richard mentioned it a couple times."

"Lee is requesting Galactica's presence here, we'll see how well that goes over."

"Dad and Zak are okay?"

"As far as I know, honey," Laura says, "We'll see once Galactica gets here."

"I wanna go home," Aurora whispers. Laura holds her arms out, pulling her daughter into her lap. She presses a kiss to her head and sighs gently.

"I know you do baby. I do too," Laura tells her as she rubs her back. She takes a deep breath and lets it out.

"Laura?" Laura looks up at Mona.

"You're doing a great job."

"Doesn't feel like it," Laura says quietly.

* * *

"We need to leave. And that's a decision that needs to be made now Madame President," Lee says as the small group confers on the recent sighting of a cylon raider. Laura rubs her head as she considers her options.

"Distribute the coordinates to the FTL ships…and start jump prep," Laura tells them before slipping away. Mona pulls Laura down into the seat next to her, Aurora asleep on the seat across from them. She wraps her arm around her best friend and kisses her head.

"We have to leave so many behind," Laura whispers.

"In order to save the rest," Mona reminds her. Laura grabs a sick bag, setting it on her lap as she watches Aurora sleep.

"She's safe…Lee's safe, Bill's safe, Zak, Kara, you…everyone is safe, so why don't I feel any better?"

"You don't have to feel better. 99.9 percent of the people that we knew, are gone. It's okay to mourn that."

Laura nods and closes her eyes, waiting as Lee counts down their jump, feeling her stomach instantly enter her throat as they speed through space and time. Once they exit their jump Laura clenches her eyes tight as she throws up almost instantly.

"Oh gods, you're so gross."

"Thanks," Laura says dryly as she closes the bag before throwing it away. She rinses her mouth out and looks out the window as they begin their approach of Galactica and the munitions depot in the midst of a swirling blue and green swarm.

* * *

[TBC]


	3. Chapter 3

Laura looks up from the papers in front of her as the door to the Ward Room opens. Her eyes widen at the state of Bill's face, both the cut and the expression on it. She swallows and sits up straighter as she looks at him, trying to put on a brave face. Billy pauses and looks between the two.

"Keep going Billy…Commander I'll be with you in just a moment," Laura tells Bill as she turns back to finish meeting with Billy. Once the young boy leaves she pushes her chair back and moves to stand in front of Bill. Her fingertips gently stroke the cut on his temple before stroking down his face. She pulls her hand back and crosses her arms in front of her.

"Are you planning to stage a military coup?"

"Excuse me?" Bill asks, his eyebrows raising imperceptibly.

"Plan to declare martial law, take over the government?"

"Of course not."

"Well, Colonel Tigh makes it sound like Galactica will be leaving Ragnar and returning to fight the cylons. And I have fifty thousand people, sitting out there on ships, without homes, the remnants of the human race. And it's only protection is going to turn tail and fight the cylons."

"That's always been our mission to fight the enemy, win the war," Bill replies in a quiet voice, "Your fleet can stay in Ragnar, the storm will keep you hidden."

"There is no war, Commander," Laura bites back as she backs away from her husband, her tone escalating slightly, "We lost the war the second the last colony fell. We need to take what little amount of people we do have left and run."

"Run where?"

"Another star system, another planet, somewhere the cylons won't and can't find us."

"You can run if you'd like…"

" _We_ need to run, with Galactica to protect us, and we need to start having babies! Without any part of that…we cease to exist!" Laura snaps back, interrupting Bill. Bill sighs and clenches his hands a couple times before turning for the door.

"Excuse me," Bill tells her before slipping out the hatch. Laura presses the back of her hand to her mouth as tears fill her eyes. She takes a deep breath to calm herself before sitting back down, resting her head in her hands with a groan. She looks up as the door opens a while later, Bill re-entering and taking a seat across from her. Laura sits up straighter, resting her hands in her lap as she regards him.

"We are planning a way out of the storm and plotting coordinates to jump to…another quadrant, past the red line, hopefully out of harms way. The entire fleet."

"Thank you, Commander," Laura says, her shoulders relaxing slightly. Bill's own shoulders relax as he leans forward, clasping his hands on the table.

"Where's Aurora?"

"In your quarters with Mona."

"How are they?"

"As good as can be," Laura says, leaning back and crossing her legs.

"How are you?"

"Terrified."

"Yeah..." Bill says standing up, "Go, be with them. It's going to be a bumpy ride out of here."

"Go see her real quick," Laura says as she looks up at Bill, "Please."

Bill nods before leaving through the hatch again. Laura gathers up her papers before going out into the hall and heading back to Bill's quarters. She watches as her husband sets their little girl down before kissing her head, eeking a smile out of her little face. Bill smiles back at her and kisses her head once again before turning to leave, pausing when he sees Laura. Laura squeezes his hand as he passes, tugging him back slightly as he continues walking. Bill arches his eyebrow at her silently as he turns around.

"Good hunting," Laura tells him with a direct look in his eye.

"Thank you," Bill says before leaving and closing the hatch behind himself. Laura sets her items down on Bill's desk before picking Aurora up and peppering her face with kisses.

"Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

"Mmm no," Aurora says, giggling.

"I love you so so so so much," Laura says as she plops down onto the couch next to Mona with Aurora in her lap.

"I love you too, all the way to Virgon and back."

"That's pretty far," Laura says as she smiles at Aurora.

"Super far," Aurora says seriously before grinning. She squirms down before going over to her coloring supplies that were discarded on Bill's desk. She pulls her chair back in and starts to color again on the picture she had been working on when Bill had come by.

"What's going to happen?" Mona asks.

"We're leaving our system...going to try to find something, anything," Laura says as she rests her head on Mona's shoulder, "We're running."

"Are there other places we can go?"

"I don't know. We haven't been out of the immediate solar system since the armistice line was drawn at the end of the war. It would be ridiculous to think that besides the Twelve Colonies and Kobol that there aren't any inhabitable planets out there."

"True," Mona acquiesces, squeezing Laura's leg, "Your husband doesn't have any liquor does he?"

"Um, there's a cart over by the book case," Laura indicates with a flick of her wrist. Mona stands and goes over to the cart, turning over two glasses and filling them part way with amber liquid. She walks back over and hands one to Laura before sitting down. She clinks her glass against her friends. Laura laughs and shakes her head before drowning the liquid in one gulp, wincing at the burn.

* * *

Laura digs through Bill's closet looking for something to wear to bed and laughs to herself as she pulls out a well worn Caprica Buccaneers shirt. She unfolds the shirt and pulls it on over her underwear as she hears the hatch open. She shuts the door to the closet and walks around the corner, holding a finger to her lips as she points to Aurora asleep on the couch.

Bill takes off his boots and sets them by the door before walking over to Laura and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close to his body as he buries his face in her hair. Laura's arms wrap around his neck and sighs softly as she holds him close. Eventually she loosens her grip and lets him go, sinking down to stand flat on her feet. Bill loosens his grip and places his hands on her waist as he looks down at her.

"I'm sorry about earlier," He murmurs quietly.

"Me too," Laura replies, running her hands up his arms and resting them on his biceps, "We need to leave the Commander and the President outside that door when we come home at night...I can't..."

Laura steps back and takes a deep breath as she wipes at her eyes.

"I can't lose my husband after all of this," She tells him. Bill steps forward and takes both of Laura's hands in his, kissing her knuckles before pulling her closer and kissing her lips.

"You are never going to lose me," Bill tells her after he pulls away, "And I see you found some pajamas."

"I always wondered where this t-shirt ended up," Laura says with a small smile, "I figured you pitched it after you left that night."

"Not at all. As a matter of fact it's a great reminder of one of the best nights of my life, and helps with feeling homesick."

"You are very right about the miraculous wonders of this shirt," Laura grabs Bill's hand and pulls him back to his rack before climbing into the bed settling against the pillows. Bill undresses down to his tanks and boxers and climbs into bed next to her, wrapping his arm around her.

"How's Ror doing?"

"She seems okay, I think having Mona around has helped. Gods knows it's helped me," Laura says as she threads her fingers with Bill's, shifting her hold on his hand to rest it on her chest right above her heart. Bill presses a kiss to her shoulder and sighs as he tries to relax. Laura closes her own eyes, her thumb stroking back and forth slowly, "I love you and I'm glad we're okay."

"Love you too," Bill murmurs quietly, managing to start drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Laura jolts awake as the alarm blares through the quarters before a crackling voice filters through the speaker mounted above the head of Bill's rack.

"Commander to CIC, we have DRADIS contact," Bill groans and rubs his eyes before getting out of bed. He pulls his pants and tunic on before heading out the hatch. Aurora grumbles as she walks over to the bed before climbing in, sticking her head under the pillow Bill had been laying on.

Laura grumbles her self, resting a hand on her daughter's back, rubbing her fingertips up and down soothingly. She listens quietly to the sounds of people clamoring through the hall and the gentle hum of Galactica, her eyes starting to drift closed again just as a familiar twist sets in the pit of her stomach. Laura practically launches herself over her daughter, scrambling to the head before emptying her stomach contents.

Aurora sticks her head out from under the pillow, frowning. She climbs out of the bed and walks to the head, standing on her tip toes to get a glass of water, holding it out to Laura as her mother flushes the toilet and sinks back against the wall. Laura rinses her mouth out before taking a small sip and pulling Aurora into her lap.

"Thank you, baby."

"Why do you throw up every time we jump?" Aurora asks with a confused look on her face.

"I don't know, my stomach just doesn't like it. How do you know when we jump?"

"It's all tingly," Aurora grins, "Like a fuzzy cat rolling all over you."

"That's a way to put it," Laura laughs and kisses her daughter's head, "Come on let's get back in bed, it's the middle of the night."

"How do you know?" Aurora asks as she gets up, following Laura back to bed.

"My watch," Laura says as she tucks Aurora into her side, showing her the face of the watch, "It's still set to Caprican Time. If we were home it would be two in the morning..."

"We're never gonna get to go home?" Aurora asks with a sad look on her face.

"No, probably not," Laura says as she runs her fingers through her daughter's hair. She frowns when she hears the speaker go live again, this time requesting her presence. She grumbles and gets out of bed, changing her shirt out for a dress before holding her hand out to Aurora, "Come on, butterfly."

Aurora stands on the bed and holds her arms out. Laura lifts her onto her hip, kissing her head before heading through the hatch, trying to retrace her steps to the CIC. She sets Aurora down on the ground once they get to the room, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and holding her close as she looks up at the DRADIS.

"What's going on?"

"They're following us," Bill comments, looking away for a moment to make eye contact with Laura, "So far seems like it's about every 35 minutes or so, we're trying to narrow down the pattern."

"How do they know where we go? How do we even know where we're going?"

"I don't know, they have to be tracking on something."

"Next set of jump coordinates are ready, sir," Zak calls as he hands a set of paper over to Bill. Bill reads down the list before handing them back over.

"Distribute to the fleet. Next jump, let's start a running clock once we gather. See how long we're getting between jumps."

"Yes, sir."

"So, we're just going to keep jumping?" Laura inquires, already feeling her stomach rolling at the thought.

"Until we can figure out how they're finding us, yes."

"Call me if anything changes?" Laura raises her eyebrows at Bill.

"Yes, sir," Laura covers his hand on the console and squeezes before guiding Aurora out of the CIC and back towards the Commander's Quarters. She stops at a crosspoint and takes a different turn her feet carrying her towards Life Station instead. After a quick trip by Life Station to pick up an anti-emetic Laura tosses back a pill and chases it with water before getting into bed with Aurora, hoping to settle down for what was left of the night. Aurora settles into her mother's side and lets out a big yawn before closing her eyes and starting to drift off to sleep. Laura sighs and runs her fingers through Aurora's hair absentmindedly as she waits for the exhaustion to finally take her away.

Laura starts awake as she hears a knock on the hatch. She frowns as she looks around, noticing Bill hadn't come back at all during the night. She slips out of bed and pads to the hatch, letting Billy in along with Jafee, thanking him as he leaves breakfast.

"Madame President, I can come back..." Billy says, pointing towards the hatch.

"No, just take a seat and let me get Aurora up," Laura tells him as she disappears to the back of the quarters, rousing Aurora out of bed before changing out of her pajamas and into one of the outfits she'd brought with. She pulls her hair back from her face before getting Aurora settled with breakfast and grabbing the couple files on the desk, sitting down to talk with Billy.

Bill breezes in a while later, heading straight into the head and turning on the shower. Laura excuses herself from Billy, pressing a kiss to Aurora's head as she slips into the small bathroom.

"Following me into the bathroom?"

"You haven't been back all night."

"We get 33 minutes before they find us. Every 33 minutes, we pause, they show up, we jump," Bill turns off the shower and grabs his towel, wrapping it around his waist as he steps out, "I just really needed a shower and a change, something I can actually accomplish in 33 minutes."

"There's food and coffee on the desk, eat something before you leave," Laura says as she leans up on her toes, pressing a kiss to his lips. Bill's arm curls around her waist and he deepens the kiss. Laura hums and pulls back stepping away with a small smile on her lips, "I'll have Aurora with me today, but I'll be available."

"Thanks," Bill nods. Laura leans up and presses a quick kiss to his lips.

"I love you, I'll see you later."

* * *

[TBC]


	4. Chapter 4

Laura gasps as her back slams into the bulkhead, her legs securing themselves around Bill's waist as he attacks her neck. His hips press into hers as her skirt rides up to her waist, his hands slipping underneath the material. Bill groans as his fingers brush over her damp underwear, Laura's groan responding as his scruff scrapes against her sensitive skin.

"I need you," She moans into his ear, slipping her hands between them to unbuckle his belt, taking the chance to lower his zipper as well, "I haven't felt you in weeks."

"I need you," Bill growls against her skin, thrusting into her core. Laura moans and arches her back, her legs tightening around his hips. She tangles her fingers in his hair, letting him support her weight as she captures his lips, rocking her hips hard against his. Bill's own hips move quick against hers, both of them searching for a release, a moment of euphoria in the shit storm that had become their lives. Laura moans into their kiss, tearing away and biting her lip against the sensations flooding her nerve endings. Bill buries his face against her heaving chest, pushing the fabric aside to press his lips against the swell of her breast.

"I…" Laura whimpers, clenching her eyes shut.

"I've got you," Bill whispers, continuing to brush his lips over her skin. Laura holds him close, shifting the angle of her hips and moaning his names as her release washes over her. Bill sinks his teeth into the pale flesh under his mouth, burying himself to the hilt as he cums, crushing her to the wall. Laura pants gently, pulling Bill back and kissing his lips gently.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you…" She murmurs. Bill steps away from her, letting her down carefully before tucking himself back in. Laura wraps her arms around him after straightening her skirt, both of them dropping their head against the others shoulder.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Shortly after the last time you slept," Laura says, a tired smile playing on her lips, "Aurora goes to bed, Billy and I keep up on counts…Our numbers are still fluctuating so rapidly."

"T-minus five minutes until next jump."

"I should get back," Bill grumbles.

"What are we up to now?"

"Two hundred and thirty four."

"Gods." Bill leans down and kisses Laura, squeezing her hip.

"I love you."

"I love you too, I'm going back to Colonial One after we jump, I'll call when I get over there." Bill nods and presses a kiss to her temple before slipping out the hatch. Laura straightens her hair and clothes before following him out and going to find Billy.

* * *

Laura sighs as she pushes the hatch open, shutting and locking it behind her before kicking her shoes off. She finds Bill sitting at his desk, reading and sipping on a glass of whisky, and Aurora asleep on the couch.

"We really should get a bed brought in here for her," Laura comments as she presses a kiss to Bill's head while shrugging off her jacket.

"They are going to bring one in the morning," Bill says as he looks up at her with a tired smile.

"What are you even still doing up?" Laura asks as she wraps an arm around his shoulders from behind, resting her chin on his head.

"Surprisingly enough, couldn't sleep. I also thought I would wait up for you."

"I'm very lucky to have such a sweet husband." Bill snorts and reaches up to squeeze her hand. Laura smiles and squeezes him before letting go.

"I am going to go shower, and put on something much more comfortable, and then maybe you can take me to bed."

"I think that sounds like a great idea."

"I'll be back," Laura tells him before moving into the head. Bill continues to read as she showers, finishing his drink as well. He rinses out the glass and puts it back on the cart before meeting Laura by his rack.

"New favorite pajamas?" Bill asks as he fingers the sleeve of the worn Bucs t-shirt.

"Mmhm," Laura hums with a smile. She pushes Bill into bed before climbing in next to him.

"Since when do you sleep on that side?" Bill asks as he reaches up to put his glasses away, also turning off the over head light.

"Since I decided to take the outside," Laura says as she settles, looking over at Bill with a small smile, "Got a problem with that?"

"Does it matter if I do?"

"Mmm not really. You wouldn't want to make the mother of your children uncomfortable would you?" Laura asks with a raised brow.

"It would be considered ru…" Bill's brow furrows as he sits up on his arm, looking down at his wife, "Children?"

"I believe I used the proper multiple," Laura comments, a grin spreading over her face as she rests a hand on her stomach.

"I thought you…were past all that?" Bill fumbles.

"Apparently not, because I can assure you that I am very much pregnant."

"So you weren't kidding about turning tail and having babies."

"Mmm, I practice what I preach," Laura tells to her husband, shoving Bill to lay down. She snuggles into his side and lays her head on his shoulder, "I…I know this isn't wasn't exactly any part of what we had planned…"

"I think we are about 500 light years beyond the plan."

"But Dr. Cottle, didn't seem too concerned."

"But he has concerns."

"At my age, any doctor would have concerns. But I never had any issues while I was pregnant with Aurora, and I've been relatively healthy over the last five years."

"We weren't running from Cylons then."

"No we weren't," Laura says with a yawn, "It's going to be fine…we'll be fine."

"You're falling asleep aren't you?"

"Mmhm, you should be too. It's been seven days. Sleep, dream, enjoy the peace while it lasts," Laura whispers, resting a hand on Bill's chest as she starts to drift off.

* * *

Cottle looks up from the charts on his desk as a shadow looms over. He takes a drag of his cigarette before stubbing it out, leaning back in his chair.

"Commander, usually I have to drag you down here. What can I do for you?"

"I talked to Laura last night. She made it seem like you have concerns."

"I have many concerns, any particular ones she mentioned?"

"About her pregnancy."

"Take a seat," Cottle directs, sorting around on his desk for a moment before pulling out a folder and opening it. Bill sits down across from the doctor, pulling the chair closer, "So. Laura's…45. Not exactly a prime age. We need to keep an eye on her blood pressure mostly. There is the potential for birth defects…miscarriage is more likely…and actual complications during birth is higher. But, as far as I can tell she's a fit person, in good health, had a good pregnancy previously. A lot of these potential issues are the same ones that faced her five years ago. We'll keep an eye on her."

"So it could be dangerous?"

"These days so is waking up in the morning," Cottle laments, closing the folder in front of him, "I'm not telling you to do one thing or the other. I'm just telling you the facts."

"Thanks, doc," Bill says before he stands, heading out of the Life Station. He runs into Mona and Aurora in the hallway.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, butterfly," Bill says, scooping her up and kissing her head, "Having fun with Momo?"

"We just got lunch, and we're going to go have a play date."

"A play date? That sounds like fun."

"There are a few other kids her age on board. They've made quite the fast friends over the last week," Mona explains, "Keeps them occupied until we can get some kind of school set up."

"You know we don't expect you to watch her."

"I know," Mona nods with a smile, "I want to."

"Why don't you guys swing by the CIC after this playdate? I think we could pop over to Colonial One to see mom, hmm?"

"We can?" Aurora says excitedly.

"Of course," Bill kisses her head before setting her back down, "I bet she would like it very much."

"Come on, Ror. We'll come back and see Dad in a couple hours," Mona says as she takes Aurora's hand. Bill leans down and kisses his daughter's head.

"Love you," He murmurs into her hair. Aurora looks up at him and smiles with adoration.

"Love you too." Mona smiles and squeezes Aurora's hand, guiding her down the hall. Bill continues on his trajectory towards CIC, falling in line with Saul a few steps later.

"How is the princess today?"

"Going to a play date," Bill says, taking a couple pieces of paper from his XO, "Apparently there are a couple other kids on Galactica that are her age. And you guys really need to stop calling her the princess."

"She's the daughter of the Old Man and the President. I think that qualifies as the princess of this rag tag fleet we've put together." Bill chuckles and shakes his head as they stride into the CIC.

* * *

"Madame President?" Billy prompts as he slips into the makeshift office set up on Colonial One. Laura looks up over the top of her glasses with an arched eyebrow.

"The Commander is here with your daughter."

"Oh, send them in," Laura tells him as she takes off her glasses, standing from her chair. Billy nods and steps away before Aurora comes barreling in, jumping into Laura's arms. Laura smiles and holds her close, kissing her head, "Hi beautiful."

"Hi Mama," Aurora says with a grin. Laura sits down in one of the chairs with the little girl sprawled across her lap. Bill takes a seat across from her and takes off his own glasses.

"To what do I owe your presence?"

"Just thought you could use a visit," Bill shrugs with a small smile.

"Well it is much appreciated," Laura says as she kisses Aurora's head again, smiling down at her, "Did you have fun today?"

"Mmhm, Momo and I had a play date, and we got lunch, and we colored, and we saw Lee and Kara and Zakky."

"Well you have had quite the eventful day."

"Ah huh," Aurora smiles. Laura squeezes her close and sighs softly into her hair.

"What is that?" Bill asks, indicating the whiteboard behind Laura. Laura looks up and looks behind her before looking back at Bill.

"That is our last headcount as of yesterday morning," She tells her husband as her hand trails over her daughter's back, "That is my number."

"I can't believe that's it."

"We're lucky. Very, very lucky," Laura tells Bill, lifting her feet into his lap. Bill tugs off her shoes and gently rubs his hands over her feet.

"Probably would have brought more sensible shoes if I had known what was going to happen."

"I think a lot of us would have packed differently if we knew what was going to happen."

"Mmm, definitely," Laura agrees, humming as his thumb digs into the arch of her foot. Bill smiles and continues to rub, just enjoying the moment to sit in silence with his family. After a while Billy knocks on the doorway, clearing his throat as he hovers awkwardly. Laura takes her feet back with a sad sigh, nudging Aurora to get off of her lap, "I have a meeting with a couple of the captains...I should be back over to Galactica after that."

"I'll have dinner waiting for you," Bill says as he stands, leaning down to drop a kiss on her lips.

"Love you," Laura tells him with a smile before peppering Aurora's face with kisses, "And I love you. I'll see you in a couple hours."

"Come on, butterfly," Bill says as he takes his daughter's hand, winking at Laura.

"Bye Mama."

"Bye baby."

* * *

[TBC]


	5. Chapter 5

**Note:** This chapter is picking up after "You Can't Go Home Again" and going through "Tight Me Up, Tight Me Down". Please let me know if you have any questions about content of what is happening in the show in relationship to the story!

* * *

Laura brushes the curtain back and smiles at Kara as she takes a seat next to the bed.

"How are you doing?" Laura inquires, unbuttoning her jacket and leaning back in the chair.

"I'd be doing better if they let me out of here," Kara grumbles.

"You practically tore your leg in half, enjoy the couple days of rack time," Laura tells her with a smile. Kara rolls her eyes and sighs as she flops back against the pillows, "I haven't seen you much since we've been on board. How has everything been going?"

"Who's asking? The president? My CO's wife?"

"No," Laura shakes her head, "Just me."

"These…This is everything I wanted when I joined up, went through flight school…but I would give anything to go home right now. Zak and I were going to spend a couple years home, start a family. And home doesn't exist any more and who knows how long we're going to be out here…and I am already so tired," Kara spills, ending on a broken note. Her brow furrows as she twists her wedding ring around her finger before clenching her hands into fists. Laura leans forward and takes Kara's hand in hers, unfolding her fingers before working her own between them.

"You don't think any one else has these feelings? Kara, every single person in this fleet is having those feelings right now, I have had them myself. Every morning my stomach sinks that I wake up in some fleet issue rack and not in a cabin in the middle of no where, with only a Caprican breeze and Bill's snoring surrounding me." Kara snickers at the thought of the Old Man snoring. Laura smiles and squeezes her daughter in law's hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it, "You have been through a lot. Take the couple days of time to rest, recuperate…just relax."

"Thank you…for coming."

"I love all of you kids, and I worry about you. We are very lucky that all of us managed to survive this together. And I know we're all in a strange situation. But I don't want you to ever feel like you can't come talk to me."

"You're the President."

"And I have some pretty decent compartmentalization," Laura tells Kara with a firm voice, "You can talk to me."

"Thank you," Kara says with a small smile before looking up as Cottle sticks his head in, waving a hand at Laura. Laura lets go of Kara's hand and stands, squeezing her healthy leg before following Cottle into another cordoned off area.

* * *

Laura sighs as she brushes her hands over her stomach, taking in the gentle curve in the mirror. Could they be doing this again? Could _she_ be doing this again? Could she and Bill continue to run from the cylons and lead the fleet with small kids?

Bill taps on the doorway to the head before leaning in. Laura breaks her gaze from the mirror and turns to look at him, a hand still stroking back and forth across her midsection absentmindedly.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"How did today go?"

"Fine, I talked to Kara for a little bit," Laura tells Bill as she buttons her shirt, leaving it untucked from her skirt. She steps closer to Bill and leans up to kiss him gently. Bill's arm naturally wraps around her waist, holding her close.

"I meant your appointment with Cottle."

"Oh, everything's fine. Tip top shape," Laura says as she rests a hand on his chest.

"Is tip top shape possible after passing out yesterday?"

"Bill…I'm sorry that you had to hear about it from Cottle," Laura grouses as she looks up at her husband with an indignant look, "But I'm fine. I'm eating. I'm taking the stuff that Cottle prescribed me. I don't need you tossing it in my face every time you ask me how I am."

"Sorry you're right," Bill acquiesces, "You seemed a little reverent when I came in."

"Just wondering if we're crazy enough to do this again. We haven't gotten this far since we had Aurora. It's just..." Laura shrugs as she takes a deep breath.

"Not according to plan?" Bill prompts. Laura nods and sighs softly as she rests her head against Bill's chest, "This would have happened one way or another whether or not the cylons attacked."

"I know," Laura hums, smiling as Bill's hand drifts across her stomach. He presses his lips to her head and smiles.

"Besides it's a good look on you," He tells her.

"It's cute how you turn into a caveman when I'm pregnant," Laura smiles as she steps back from his hold, taking his hand in hers and pressing a kiss to his knuckles, "I'm going to go talk to Aurora."

"You sure you don't want any help?"

"I can take care of it," Laura assures him with a small smile. Bill kisses her again before letting her slip by, getting into the shower. Aurora looks up from her bowl of noodles, fumbling slightly with her chopsticks. Laura laughs softly and resets them in her fingers before taking a seat next to her.

"Thanks," Aurora says before continuing to shove the noodles into her mouth. Laura smiles and brushes her hair back from her face, taking a moment to just quietly admire her. Aurora was growing up into a beautiful girl, her olive skin had darkened as she aged, the swirling blue eyes she'd been born with had shifted to an earthy hazel to rival her mother's, and her thick black curls tumbled down her back in waves. She was tall and gangly for her age and sharp as a whip. Yet, every once in a while when Laura regarded her daughter during a moment of quiet all she could see was the squalling baby girl they'd brought home from the hospital that smelled like lavender and milk.

"You're staring," Aurora mumbles around a mouthful of food.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," Laura reprimands her as she sits up a little straighter. She crosses her legs and rests her head on her hand, "What do you think about having a little brother or sister?

"Why?" Aurora wrinkles her nose, wiping her face off on her sleeve.

"Don't wipe your face on your clothes. It would be nice if you could get a couple wears before we have to wash them."

"I already have Lee and Zak and Kara. Why do I need another brother or sister?"

"It's not that you need one, I was just wondering what you thought about having another one, a little one."

"I don't know, it would be fun I guess," Aurora shrugs as she chomps on a carrot, before reiterating her question again, "Why?"

"Well, you're going to have a little brother, or sister, in about six months."

"How?" Aurora wrinkles her nose again. Laura laughs softly and smiles at the little girl.

"I'm going to have a baby."

"You're gonna have a baby?!" Aurora squeals, suddenly more excited. Laura nods and smiles, glad that Aurora's attitude had turned. The little girl scrambles into her mother's lap and throws her arms around her neck, "You didn't say anything about a baby!"

Laura laughs and hugs Aurora close, kissing her head.

"What did you think I meant by little?"

"Like me."

"Mmm, yes you are little. But no, I mean I'm going to have a baby, and you're going to have a baby brother or sister," Laura explains to the little girl. Bill comes out of the bathroom, hanging his blues up before joining his family.

"Daddy! Did you know Mama has a baby in her belly?!"

"I did, what do you think of that?"

"It's awesome!" Laura laughs and lets her daughter down from her lap. Aurora presses her hands against Laura's stomach, "It's in there?"

"Mmhm."

"Nuh uh!" Aurora says skeptically, looking up at her mother.

"It is. But, they are very tiny right now," Laura explains holding her hand up to approximate the size to Aurora.

"Babies aren't that little. They way bigger than that."

"Well until we get to meet them, they are going to grow lots and lots until they look like a baby."

"Oh…" Aurora mumbles, staring at Laura's stomach. Laura tucks a strand of hair behind Aurora's ear and strokes her cheek gently before covering both of her hands.

"I am very glad that you are so excited."

"They're gonna like me right?"

"They are going to love you, just like you are going to love them," Laura assures her with a soft smile.

* * *

Laura groans as she flops down on the rack in Mona's room as her friend undresses from the scrubs she was wearing and changing into more casual clothes.

"Very presidential Laur." Mona comments as she tugs her top off, tossing it into the laundry. Laura lifts her head from the pillows and glares.

"The President isn't here."

"What has your panties in a bunch?" Mona asks as she tugs down a clean t-shirt before going to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Ellen frakking Tigh," Laura grumbles, "My darling husband found her on the Rising Star…That woman has been the bane of my existence the last six years…Saul I can handle, Ellen…I'd put her out the frakking airlock with enough reason."

"How can anyone be that bad?"

"She's a special case," Laura reasons with a whine. She flops her head back down for a moment, burying it in the fleet issued fabric before lifting it up and sighing, "Also since when do you wear scrubs?"

"I've been helping out down in Life Station. It's something to do during the day if I'm not hanging out with Aurora," Mona explains, "Figures I use that damn college degree more now than I did at any point during my life on Caprica."

"That's great," Laura says rolling over onto her back, "I'm happy for you."

"It's nothing," Mona shrugs.

"Are you done getting dressed yet? You promised we would go to Cloud 9."

"Yes, Madame President," Mona salutes before getting up and finishing her changing, "It's nice to see that we're avoiding crises long enough that we can even go over there."

"At least cylon based crises."

"Are there others that you haven't told me about?"

"Food, water, housing, blah blah blah blah blah. It's all I spend my day talking about," Laura heaves a sigh as she sits up, "We're reforming the Quorum, you sure you don't want to be the Caprican delegate?"

"Um, no, my brother was the politician, I am not."

"You're no fun," Laura whines.

"I am very fun, you have told me so multiple times," Mona says as she slips a pair of earrings on before turning to Laura, "So don't try to pin the fun sucking on me now. Are you ready?"

"Yes," Laura says pushing herself up off the bed, "Um, before we go there's something I wanted to tell you."

"Sure, what's up?" Mona asks, worried.

"It's nothing bad," Laura assures her, "I'm pregnant."

"You're…pregnant?" Mona asks with wide eyes. Laura nods as she wrings her hands slightly, an apprehensive smile on her face.

"Yeah, it was quite a surprise," Laura chuckles dryly.

"Laur, that's great!" Mona says as she throws her arms around the redhead, "I'm so happy for you."

"Thank you," Laura replies, relaxing for a moment in her friend's embrace. Mona pulls back after a beat and grins down at Laura.

"Let me see." Laura rolls her eyes and unbuttons her blazer, showing Mona her rounding midsection. Mona squeals and puts her hands on the bump.

"Oh my god, this is so great. I can't believe it. When do they get here?"

"Ah, six months-ish," Laura tells Mona before taking her arm and leading her out of her quarters, towards the flight deck, "We haven't really…told many people yet. The kids know, Billy knows…"

"You'll probably want to make an announcement soon, you're not going to be able to hide it much longer."

"It's my personal life…it's no ones business."

"They don't see it that way, just like they didn't see it that way back home. You're their president."

"They already find me being married to Bill contentious."

"You've been doing a good job Laur," Mona tells her as they climb into a raptor. Laura greets the pilot with a smile before buckling into her seat.

"I never gave your brother enough credit for putting up with all of this frakking bull shit."

"Well, you know Rich. He brought a lot of it on himself," Mona explains with a roll of her eyes. Laura laughs and shakes her head.

"I do miss him sometimes. Usually when the files seem to be taller on my desk than when I started."

"Me too, though not the whole paperwork thing. Just when I remember the fun times. Before he married that permanent stick up his ass and became a full time politician."

"I remember when I didn't know more about him than the fact that he was annoying little high schooler Richie when we were in college."

"Gods, it makes me feel old to think we've been friends that long."

"Longest relationship either of us has had," Mona quips with a grin.

"Definitely most interesting."

"Most definitely," Mona agrees waggling her eyebrows.

* * *

[TBC]


	6. Chapter 6

Laura watches as the water runs slowly over her hands as she washes them, practically feeling the creatures slithering over her hands again. She closes her eyes against the pounding in her head, twisting the water off and drying her hands. She jumps when the lights in the head turn on and she feels a pair of hands slide around her waist.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you heard me come in," Bill says as he kisses her shoulder.

"It's okay, I was…lost in thought," Laura tells him with a strained smile in the mirror.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Laura assures him, leaning back into his embrace. Bill's arms slip further around her waist, holding her close and rubbing his hands over her stomach. Laura closes her eyes, enjoying the moment before she turns her head and presses a kiss to his cheek, "Have you ever read the scrolls of Pythia?"

"Mmm, I think maybe once when I was a kid, why?"

"I was just talking about it with someone earlier," Laura shrugs it off with a shake of her head. Bill's hands slip under her shirt, teasing her skin.

"Have time for a shower?" Bill murmurs as he presses his lips to her neck and his hips into hers.

"For you...definitely," Laura hums, turning around in her husband's grasp. Bill waggles his eyebrows at her before releasing her to turn the water on.

* * *

"Mama, can I come with today?" Aurora asks as Laura braids her hair. Laura wraps a hair tie around the end and kisses Aurora's head as she stands.

"Not today, honey. I'll take you over after the Quorum is over next week. We can take a picnic and spend a whole afternoon there," Laura explains as she slips her shoes on. Aurora huffs and grabs her little knapsack, slinging it onto her back, "Marcus is going to take you to school and I will be here when you're done for the day."

"Okay," Aurora grumbles. Laura squats down and kisses her daughter's nose with a smile.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Aurora replies before smiling. Laura stands and walks Aurora out of their quarters, entrusting her to a marine that was waiting outside.

"Thank you."

"No problem, Madame President," Laura watches her daughter go before going back inside and grabbing her things. She meets Lee and Kara in the hallway when she comes out, smiling at both of them before starting to follow them to the flight deck.

"I'm assuming that you two are my personal goon squad?"

"On the orders of the Commander," Kara says as she slides down the steps to the deck. Laura rolls her eyes and climbs down carefully, striding towards the raptor waiting to transport them. Lee drops down after her and takes the flight check list from one of the deck crew.

"You know that there is the potential for violence," Lee explains as he starts to check things off, "People don't…"

"People don't like me. I know, gods knows Tom Zarek isn't making that any better," Laura responds as she climbs into the raptor.

* * *

"Happy Colonial Day," Laura murmurs as she sidles up to her husband.

"Happy Colonial Day, Madame President," Bill says, casting a sidelong glance in her direction.

"I am very tired of being Madame President today, Bill," Laura tells him, "I'd like to wash my hands of the Quorum and my Vice President and enjoy the festivities with my husband. Besides we've always had fun on Colonial Day."

"We have," Bill concedes with a smile, thinking of the many Colonial Day balls they had spent together, "Would you care to dance?"

"I think I would," Laura smiles, taking her husband's offered arm and following him to the dance floor. Laura wraps an expert arm around his shoulder as her other hand rests in his. They easily fall into sync, swaying back and forth across the floor to the jazzy number, "It's good to see everyone letting their hair down. They deserve it."

"They do," Bill agrees, resting his cheek against the top of her head as they move. His eyes sweep around the room, finding Zak and Kara in the corner half dancing, half trying to swallow each other while Lee was blushing seven shades of red as he danced with Mona.

"I think Mona is teasing Lee."

"Probably, she loves playing with him," Laura hums as she rests her head against Bill's shoulder, stepping her body slightly closer, "I love dancing with you. We don't do it nearly often enough."

"Not a lot of dancing opportunities in space."

"You should change that," Laura says with a grin.

"Dance breaks every hour," Bill says with a chuckle. Laura giggles and squeezes his shoulder as she buries her face in it. Bill presses a kiss to her temple, his hand sliding a little lower, "How have you been feeling? I feel like I never see you."

"You see me plenty. You're seeing me right now," Laura reminds him with a teasing lilt to her voice.

"We don't ever seem to pick a good time to do this," Bill gruffs in her ear, "I missed six months of your pregnancy with Aurora...sometimes I feel like I only see you when I wake up and go to bed."

"We're busy," Laura replies quietly.

"I know," Bill nods, "So, how are you feeling?"

"Good. I'm huge already, but I feel good," Laura answers honestly, "Everything seems to be going great. I had a quick appointment when I got back tonight."

"Tell me when you have appointments."

"I don't want to pull you away any more than I have to," Laura tells Bill as she looks up at him.

"I want to be there for you," Bill tells her as he stops moving, "You didn't want to lose me. I don't want to lose you. You don't have to keep this stuff from me."

Laura steps back and keeps a hold on Bill's hand, her eyes scanning around the room before focusing back on him.

"Let's take a walk," Laura says, pulling him towards the exit. Bill follows her, nodding to a couple people along the way. Once they're in the corridor Laura loops her arm through Bill's and sets a leisurely pace as they walk.

"We are healthy, everything is going fine, if there was an issue I would make sure you were called," Laura explains, "We've done all this before. I know you weren't there for much but you were there for the important parts. And it's important that you are available if you need to be available."

"Is that the President talking?"

"No, that's me talking as a mother in the fleet that Galactica protects," Laura tells him, casting a glance in his direction. She turns them down a hallway, resting her head on his shoulder, "You are our protector, Bill. I don't want to get in the way of that."

"You're not."

"And I'm going to keep it that way," Laura says as she walks Bill into Life Station, greeting the nurse that was working, "But you're free now."

"I am?"

"You are," Laura assures him, following the nurse to a cordoned off area, hopping onto the table. She unbuttons the first few buttons on the bottom of her shirt before laying back. She pulls up the camisole underneath, exposing her stomach. Bill rests a hand on her stomach reverently, stroking gently with his thumb.

"Told you, huge," Laura smiles and winks at him before pulling his hand away and threading her fingers with his. The nurse squirts a blob of gel on Laura's stomach before turning the ultrasound machine on and moving the wand to spread the clear liquid around. She turns the screen towards Bill and Laura, letting the redhead point things out to him.

"Head, spine, legs, arms…all the usual stuff," Laura smiles at Bill, letting him gaze for a moment, "That is our baby. Perfectly healthy."

"Yeah?" Bill asks, continuing to watch in wonder.

"Mmhm," Laura smiles before nodding at the nurse. The nurse moves the wand to the other side of Laura's stomach, searching for a moment before pausing her movements.

"What's…" Bill asks as he watches the screen.

" _That_ is our other baby," Laura says, grinning up at her husband.

"There's two of them?"

"Mmhm, two more giant Aerilon melon heads," Laura jokes.

"We're gonna have two more babies?"

"We are," Laura assures him. The nurse turns the machine off and offers Laura a couple tissues before leaving the couple alone. Laura wipes her stomach off and pulls her tank top down before sitting up. Bill stands between her legs, resting his hands on her stomach. She covers his hands with her own, stroking his skin gently with her thumbs.

"I've got this," Laura assures her husband, "We've got this."

"Do we?"

"We do. We will."

"You seem pretty calm about this."

"Oh no, I am very terrified on the inside," Laura assures Bill with a confident tone, "We didn't sign up for one baby, let alone two. But we're gonna have them, and still have to do our jobs, and still have to worry about Aurora, and Lee, and Zak, and Kara…But we'll do it. We have to."

"Have I ever told you how strong you are?"

"Maybe once or twice," Laura smiles. Bill leans down to kiss her, stepping a little closer. The two jump apart at the sound of a rough throat clearing, turning to see an unamused Cottle standing by the open curtain, lit cigarette hanging from his lips.

"You know that's what got you two in this mess?" Laura laughs and drops her head to Bill's chest before standing up.

"Oh I am very aware of what got us in this mess," Laura tosses back as she takes her husband's hand, pulling him out the opposite side of the cordoned off area, calling out a mirthful departure, "Good night Jack."

* * *

[TBC]


	7. Chapter 7

Laura sighs as she watches the Geminese priestess leave, smoothing a hand over her stomach trying to settle the two babies rolling around within. She hadn't mentioned to Bill that she'd been talking to Elosha, and she was wondering when it was going to come back to bite her in the ass.

 _The leader will guide the vestiges of humanity to their new homeland. She will bear the two that are one, the sun and the moon, destined to lead the new homeland into the new era._

* * *

Laura locks eyes with Billy as the cuffs clip around her wrists.

"I've got this. Get to Mona. Aurora does _not_ come to the brig," She instructs before the marines start to guide her out. Laura dutifully takes a seat in the raptor, stealing a reproachful glance at Saul before staring straight ahead.

She thinks to herself they had managed to make it a month and a half before any serious incident. That wasn't too bad considering she was afraid they were done for the first night. And the brig wasn't an airlock. Laura closes her eyes and leans her head back, her mind filled with what she was billing as their last moments also coincidentally the first time they'd had a proper frak since they had started their drift through space.

Bill had been sweaty and tousled after a sparring session with the boys, a primal look in his eyes as he took her firmly by the hips and lead her to his rack. Laura could feel his rough fingertips running over her skin, bringing her to the edge with a firm stroke, his lips and tongue soothing bites his teeth had left behind. She remembers the tears that had filled her eyes as he had filled her, their hips moving together in a slow lazy rhythm. At the time the sadness had seemed strange to her. Now she recognized it as mourning for a loss that hadn't even happened yet.

Laura's eyes snap open as they settle on Galactica, standing a few moments later once their raptor is taken below deck. The marines guide her off board to a silent flight deck, everyone pausing in their work and quietly staring. Laura lifts her chin as Zak strides over his fists clenched at his side.

"What did you do?" Zak seethes. Laura stares the boy down as she stands in front of him.

"I am saving us. Kara is saving us."

"My wife is on a planet that was nuked by frakking toasters!" Zak yells.

"She will come back," Laura tells him, keeping her voice even, "You know I wouldn't have asked her if I didn't think she could do it."

Saul backs Zak out of the way before the marines continue to guide Laura to the brig. Laura stands off to the side, rubbing her wrists slightly as her cuffs are removed, eyeballing Saul for a few moments before the hatch opens and Bill walks in. He glances at her momentarily before looking at the marine that was staffing the jail cells.

"Open the cell," Bill commands quietly, holding a directional hand out for Laura before commanding that the cell be closed once she's inside. The two share a look before Bill turns heel without another word and heads for the CIC with his XO.

It was less than an hour later that Lee was brought in, covered in blood, and shoved into the cell next to her. Laura moves to the wall dividing their spaces, a concerned look on her face.

"Lee what's going on, what did they do to you?"

"Dad got shot," Lee manages to get out before yelling, requesting that his restraints are removed. Laura jumps at his outburst before leaning against the bars for support as she feels her heart start to race. What had she done?

"Lee, tell me what happened. How bad is it?"

"Ah…two shots to the chest…it's bad," Lee tells her, his voice choked, as he sinks down on the small rack.

"What…is Doctor Cottle with him?"

"Cottle's not on board." Laura sinks down onto her own rack and buries her face in her hands.

"Oh gods…" She whimpers quietly.

* * *

"Open the door. I don't want to be shot like some rat in a cage. Open the door now!" Laura barks at the marine that was guarding her. She slips out of the cell as Lee and his group come in. She wraps her arms around her son and hugs him tight before letting him go.

"What's going on?"

"We've been boarded. You need to get out of here. Life Station is going to be the best bet, it's meant to function as a disaster shelter," Lee explains. He takes one of his side arms and hands it to Billy before taking the other and holding it out to Laura. Laura curls her hand around the weapon before racking the slide and holding it by her side.

"Where are you going?"

"Towards the gun fire," Lee tells her before leaving. Laura follows behind the marine with Billy behind her as they navigate the halls towards Life Station. Laura sighs as they walk, having to re-navigate their path a few times before they're trapped in a causeway. She yelps as Billy shoves her out of the way of the cylon gun fire, only daring to sit up when she hears the hall go quiet. The marine touches her back as he approaches them.

"Madame President, are you okay?" Laura nods as she pushes herself up, wincing slightly from being slammed around. She notices the two holes in her jacket as the marine points them out.

"The gods must be watching over you." The group finishes their trek to Life Station, meeting up once again with Lee. Laura's feet immediately carry her to her husband's side, covering her mouth with her hand as she takes in the scene before her. She gently takes his hand and strokes his knuckles gently before looking at Lee after Saul tells them that Cottle was on his way.

"He's going to be okay," She murmurs, looking over at her son, "You know he's strong enough to beat this."

"I know," Lee nods. Laura releases Bill's hand and rounds the table, kissing Lee's cheek.

"Stay with him, as long as you can," She whispers in his ear, clutching his hand for a moment before leaving to return to the brig.

* * *

Laura groans as she cradles her head in her hands, a fierce headache settling behind her eyes. She tries to block the light out, focus on something, anything besides the pain rolling through her head.

"Madame President…" Billy calls quietly, holding a bottle through the bars and shaking it gently to jostle the pills inside. Laura looks up, wincing as the light flares in her eyes. She stands on shaky legs and takes the pills from Billy.

"Thank gods," She says as she pops open the bottle, taking two of the white tablets before sitting back down.

"Colonel Tigh is going to be bringing the Quorum down at some point…" Billy warns her, "Is there anything else I can get you?"

"No, I'll be fine," Laura assures him, laying down to take a nap. She dozes for an hour and wakes up without a trace of her earlier migraine or shakiness. She sits up and runs her fingers through her hair, looking up as Saul herds the Quorum into the room. She bites back at his derogatory comments at her, explaining everything she could to the Quorum members, seeing that her claims were particularly interesting to the delegate from Geminon.

"The scriptures say that the leader will guide us to the new homeland…that she will bear the two that are one, the sun and the moon and they will herald the homeland into the new era," The delegate explains. Laura nods, swallowing as she unbuttons her jacket to expose her stomach, resting her hand against the curve of it.

"I am pregnant, with twins, identical twins…two that are one," Laura explains.

Laura swallows as she watches the delegates kneel, taking the few hands she could before Saul commands the marines to force them out. She takes a seat on her rack and sighs as she casts a worried glance at Billy.

Later in the evening, Laura sits with her back against the bars talking to Lee, getting the few bits of information he could give her. After a lull in the conversation Laura sighs and turns her head to the side, away from their security.

"We need to get out of here," Laura whispers.

"I'm working on it," Lee assures her.

"We have to take Billy and Elosha. Mona needs to know what's happening, she needs to keep Aurora out of the way."

"I know," Lee assures her. Laura reaches back, offering part of her cookie to him.

"Thank you," Laura tells him.

"Adama's stick together," Lee replies as he takes a piece.

* * *

[TBC]


	8. Chapter 8

"Next time you break me out of prison, please don't try to send me into labor," Laura tells Lee with a wry grin.

"Next time?" Lee asks, grinning back. Laura turns her attention to Elosha, taking the woman's hand.

"It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you," Elosha responds, squeezing Laura's hand, "How are you?"

"I'm okay," Laura assures her, looking out the window as they drift through the fleet. _Fugitive_ , she could add that to her resume.

* * *

Laura wraps her arms around Kara and holds her tight, pressing a kiss to her head as she closes her eyes against the tears.

"I'm so sorry I asked you to do this," Laura whispers in her ear, squeezing her once more before stepping back. Lee embraces his sister in law for a moment before letting her go.

"Remind me to send you to the brig," Lee jokes.

"Yes, sir," Kara grins before becoming serious, "Lee there's something I need to…"

Both Lee and Laura see red as the Caprican Boomer rounds the corner into the deck. Lee lashes out like lightening and slams Boomer into the wall, shoving his gun in her face, ignoring Kara's pleas until he feels a gun on the back of his own head.

"Both of you, drop your weapons now!" Laura barks. She gives them a moment before commanding again, "Put them down, now!"

Both of the men lower their weapons before Laura orders Boomer thrown out the air lock, she stands quietly as the group continues to yell at each other, only taking interest as Boomer yells out that she knows the way to the Tomb of Athena. Kara pulls out the arrow and shows it to Laura, holding it out across both of her hands. Laura touches the arrow reverently before looking at Zarek.

"Tell them to wait…and find me a place I can talk to her," Laura hands the arrow back to Kara before brusquely walking off in the direction of the cylon.

"Guess we missed all the fun," Kara cracks as she puts the arrow back into it's case. Lee holsters his side arm and pulls Kara to the side, the blonde looking up at him with a worried look, "How is he?"

"From what we've heard, okay. He was still unconscious when we left."

"What the frak is going on, Lee? Laura's here, your dad got shot, I'm sure Zak is probably ready to fly off the handle, where is your sister even?"

"The nugget's safe. We made sure of that. Look…Laura isn't just Laura…she's something more, some leader from the scrolls."

"I know, she told me…That's why I went home. He lied about knowing where Earth is."

"I know," Lee placates.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Kara asks, concern in her voice.

"We are," Lee says with a firm nod, "We are."

* * *

Kara drops a duffle and small green back pack in front of Laura. Laura looks up at the blonde before pulling the bag closer, unzipping it and pawing through the contents gently.

"Where did you…"

"I had a little extra time on my hands when I found myself without a ride…I thought I would pick some stuff up. There are some pictures, couple things of extra clothes, some toys and stuff for Aurora, and I went through her stuff in storage and found some baby things…who knows how long we'll be up here and I don't know that we have a ton of that stuff floating around."

"Kara, this is…I can't thank you enough, this is amazing," Laura tells Kara before standing and hugging her, "Thank you."

"Anything for you and the Old Man," Kara says as she hugs the redhead back.

"What was it like?" Laura asks as she sits down, zipping the bag back up, planning to go through it later.

"It's…deserted. Practically a ghost town. You can tell that some people lingered for a while, but probably succumbed to the radiation…they've cleaned out all the bodies, it's just…so still," Kara describes. Laura sighs, trying to imagine the decimation that had taken over their home world.

* * *

Laura looks up at the sky as the misty rain drops flutter down over them, listening as a breeze shakes the trees and birds tweet and flitter in the distance. It was the most human she had ever felt in her life, finally standing on ground again, feeling non temperature controlled air on her skin. She listens as Boomer and Elosha discuss the scripture before they find the path they need to take.

"Let's move out," Laura calls, directing the group to start trudging through the Kobolian foliage. She lingers between Kara and Lee as they hike. Lee shoves her off to the side and out of the way as the land mine Elosha pops up, leaving Zarek to cover her as centurions pop up, firing on their group.

Once the crossfire stops Laura steps away from the bluff they had taken cover against, walking over to the body of the priestess who had started the whole chain reaction that had lead them to this moment. Lee puts a supportive hand on her shoulder as she kneels down.

"A price paid in blood," Laura murmurs, finally feeling the tears she'd been suppressing the entire time finally start to break free.

"Come on, Laur…" Lee says, offering her a hand up. Laura reaches over and grabs Elosha's bible, closing it and holding it close to her chest as she lets Lee help her up and they continue on their trek.

As they navigate the ridge the rain picks up. Eventually the group dons their ponchos before starting to scale the steepest part. Lee keeps pace behind Laura, ready to catch her if needed. Eventually they reach a plateau and decide to pitch tents and wait for the storm to pass.

Once the storm passes they pack up and get another stretch in before pausing to reevaluate. Boomer points out the Gates of Hera and they debate whether or not to keep going. Laura sighs as she looks at the sky and the distance they had to cover.

"Let's see how far we can get."

"We might need to get you some fatigues, if you plan on keeping this up," Kara comments later on as they walk, both hands on her gun. Laura rolls her eyes as she trudges along.

"Very funny lieutenant," Laura responds as they walk.

"Let's take a break up here," Lee calls out, pointing to the small clearing ahead. They manage to quickly set up a small camp and settle down to take a break. Lee hands Laura part of his protein bar as they sit under a tarp.

"We're almost there," Lee assures her, "We have to be."

"I'm sure we are," Laura nods, taking a bite off of the bar, "How do you guys eat these things, they're like tar."

"Well they are emergency rations," Lee grins. His head snaps up and his grin fades as he hears the rustle of leaves and the snap of a branch. He finds Kara's eyes and signals to her and Helo before picking up his side arm and standing, approaching the edge of his tarp. He holds his hand up to his mouth as he looks at Laura before flipping around the edge, surprised to come barrel to barrel with his father.

Lee lowers his gun before embracing his father. Laura gets up and comes around the edge of the tarp, watching the two embrace. She smiles weakly at Bill as he looks at her, letting go of Lee before pulling her into his arms, crushing her close. Laura lets out a shuddering breath as she wraps her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder. He lets her go silently, approaching Kara with reverence, brushing her hair out of her face before his attention is directed to Boomer.

Laura jumps at Bill's swift reaction to grabbing the cylon around the throat and slamming her into the ground with force. She attempts to pull him off with everyone else with no success until he clenches his chest in pain. She pulls him into her lap as Helo snatches Boomer up and walks her away. Bill takes a deep breath as he feels the pain start to subside before standing up, offering a hand to his wife. Laura takes his hand and pulls herself up, brushing off her pants.

Lee and Laura brief Bill on what they had achieved so far, and what their goal was before Bill claps his son on the back and leads Laura off to the side, sinking down onto a tarp and blanket with her. Laura bends one leg under herself as she sits across from him, their knees touching barely.

"You interfered with a military decision and you broke your word to me," Bill tells her, hurt swirling in his stormy eyes.

"It's the last part that bothers you isn't it?" Laura asks as she watches him, enjoying the fact that he was finally sitting in front of her.

"I forgive you," Bill says, catching her eyes.

"Thank you, but I didn't ask for your forgiveness," Laura points out, a small smile on her lips.

"Well, you have it anyway," Bill tells her. He reaches a hand over and squeezes her leg, resting it there for a moment. They both regard each other in silence before starting to speak at the same time.

"How are you fee…" Laura pauses and laughs, shaking her head. Bill smiles back at her and bows his head towards her.

"You first."

"How are you feeling?" Laura asks as she shifts closer, "I'm surprised you're even here. Last I saw of you, you were unconscious and had two surgeries ahead of you."

"Cottle says I'll live. Supposed to be taking a break from physical activity. Which I'm sure doesn't include a trek up a mountainside," Bill recounts to her, "Or throttling a cylon."

"Um no, probably not," Laura says with a bemused look on her face.

"What about you?" Bill asks, tilting his head as he looks at her.

"I will probably sleep for a week when we get back, but Lee's been taking good care of me," Laura tells him truthfully, "We make quite the pair don't we?" "Yeah we do." The couple looks up as Lee comes over, gear back on.

"We should get going if we want to finish our trek this afternoon," He tells them. Laura nods and pushes herself up before holding a hand out to Bill.

* * *

Laura groans as they step out of their raptor and onto the flight deck. Yet, every ounce of fatigue she felt disappeared as she hears her daughter.

"Mama!" Mona turns around and let's go of Aurora's hand when she sees her friend, following behind the child at a slower pace. Aurora barrels into her mother's arms and sobs into her shoulder as she wraps her arms around her tightly. Laura drops to her knees as she clutches her daughter close, her own tears streaming down her face.

"Oh gods, I've missed you so much," Laura whispers into Aurora's hair, rocking her back and forth gently.

"Don't ever leave me," Aurora cries.

"I'm never ever going to leave you ever again…" Laura tells her, with a firm but shaky voice, "I'm never going to leave my butterfly ever again."

Aurora wraps her legs around her mother, not wanting to let go. Bill offers out a helpful hand, holding onto Laura as he helps her stand. Laura stays clutched onto his hand once standing as her eyes roll back into her head and her knees begin to buckle.

Bill grabs his daughter off of Laura, shoving her into Mona's arms before managing to catch Laura before she hits the ground. He lowers her down gently and checks her pulse as he yells out for a medic. Aurora screams and tries to break out of Mona's grasp as she reaches for Laura.

It isn't until the medics load her onto the gurney to take up to Life Station that anyone notices the blood that had pooled at her waist. Mona pushes Bill towards the stairs, yelling at him to follow Laura. She shushes Aurora and follows after them, breaking from the group to take Aurora home. The little girl fights and thrashes, yelling out for her mother as the hatch closes behind them.

* * *

[TBC]


	9. Chapter 9

Laura starts out of her sleep with a scream on her lips and a wild look in her eyes. Bill jumps up out of the seat he had taken by her bedside, taking her hand and gently pressing her back into the bed.

"Hey, hey, hey. You're okay, I'm right here, you're okay," Bill tells Laura, stroking her shoulder. Laura sinks back against the pillows, closing her eyes as tears immediately start trickling down her cheeks, a strangled sob in her throat. Bill sits on the side of the bed, brushing Laura's hair back from her face and stroking her cheek, "You're okay."

Cottle slides into the cordoned off area with a chart in his hands. He jots down Laura's vitals before setting the folder down on her bedside table.

"Welcome back, young lady," The doctor greets. Laura opens her eyes and sniffles as she uses her free hand to wipe at her face. Bill squeezes her hand and looks down at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah just a…just a bad dream," Laura whispers with a raspy voice, her eyes starting to look around, "What happened?"

"You passed out, is the short version," Cottle tells her, "In the hangar deck after you got back from Kobol."

"What's the long version?"

"Physical stress, dehydration," Cottle lists off, "Some mild contractions. We're rehydrating you and have you on a very mild sedative."

"But?"

"It's the contractions that have me worried. We did a scan, the babies are fine, you're not dilating, but the placenta has shifted, which is what caused the bleeding in conjunction with the contractions."

"Bleeding?" Laura asks, alarmed.

"Not enough for us to give you a transfusion," Cottle placates, looking back at Laura's chart, "We're going to keep you here for the night. I want you to stay on Galactica exclusively for the next couple weeks and then we'll reevaluate."

"What do you mean reevaluate?" Laura says, narrowing her eyes.

"I mean reevaluating whether or not I let you off of this ship in the next few months, which at the moment hasn't been going very well for you lately," Cottle explains, "Now, you are going to need a c-section no matter what, and this is the only place you're going to have one."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I am not in a joking mood right now. I'll be back to check on you once more before I leave for the night."

"Thank you," Bill says. Cottle nods before slipping out, pulling the curtain closed behind him. Laura sighs and closes her eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at Bill with a mournful look.

"I'm so sorry."

"I think we are past the point of sorry right now. We just need to move on. You're fine, well you're going to be. I'm about 90% of the way there. Aurora's fine, the babies are fine…We just need to move on."

"Come're," Laura curls her finger at Bill, pulling him down and pressing her lips to his in a slow deep kiss. She pulls back a moment later and lets his tunic out of her grasp, "Bring my baby girl down here."

"Yes, sir," Bill smiles and leans down to kiss her once more before getting up and leaving. He comes back a while later with Aurora wrapped around his torso with her blanket. Aurora scrambles out of his arms and snuggles up to her mother. Laura smiles and wraps her arms around the little girl, resting her cheek against her head.

"Oh I've missed you."

"I've missed you," Aurora mumbles into Laura's shoulder, already dozing off. Laura rubs her hand up Aurora's back and flicks out the little girl's blanket over her body. Bill turns the light down before resuming his seat next to the bed.

"You don't have to stay," Laura says as she rolls her head to look at her husband.

"I want to, we've been apart for too long," Bill tells her, scooting the chair closer and putting his feet up on her bed.

"We have," Laura hums, taking his hand in hers. She rests both of their hands on her stomach, sighing happily as she feels the gentle rolls and kicks within. Laura yawns before closing her eyes, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

"I swear to the gods, I am staying on Galactica. I will be back in quarters at five. And I'm keeping Aurora with me," Laura assures Bill as she pulls her shirt down over her stomach, "And provided there's no crises today and you ask nicely, I might even say yes to lunch with you."

"When have I ever not asked nicely," Bill says as he buttons his tunic.

"You do have a point," Laura says with a smile as she puts her earrings in. She runs a hand through her hair and straightens her skirt before leaving the head. Bill grabs her arm before she can breeze by, pulling her back to his chest and rubbing his hands over her stomach. Laura smiles and covers his hands, "Rubbing it for good luck?"

"Mmm, sure," Bill grins and kisses her neck.

"Don't you dare start that right now," Laura says as she pulls away, wagging a finger at him. Bill laughs and finishes buttoning up before putting his glasses on. Laura grabs her shoes before pulling them on, balancing her arm on the couch, "Aurora are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," Aurora says, climbing down from her chair and putting her backpack on. Laura smiles and straightens up.

"Go say bye to dad," Laura directs her as she gathers her own bag. Aurora bounds over and wraps her arms around Bill's waist. Bill wraps his arm around her, leaning down to press a kiss to her head.

"Have a good day."

"You too," Aurora smiles up at him before taking Laura's hand and following her mother out the hatch. Aurora smiles and waves at the few people she knew on their way to the ward room. Laura holds the door open for her daughter, smiling at Billy as they walk in.

"Madame President, it's good to see you up and around."

"Thank you, Billy," Laura says with a smile, putting her hand on Aurora's head, "You remember Aurora right?"

"Of course, I believe I've heard that you're the Princess of Galactica? I'm Billy," Billy smiles, kneeling down to Aurora's height and offering his hand. Aurora blushes and shakes his hand. Billy directs her to a chair, pulling it out for her, "I've got you a spot set up right here next to where your mom sits."

"Thank you," Aurora says shyly, taking her backpack off before climbing into the chair.

"Thank you, Billy. You really didn't have to come over early…"

"It's okay, it's nice to get back to the mundane finally," Billy smiles. Laura sets her bag down next to Aurora's before making herself a cup of tea.

"So, what's first on the docket today?"

* * *

Laura looks up from her book as she hears the hatch open, smiling at Bill as he comes in.

"Hi."

"Hey," Bill smiles at her, unbuttoning the top of his tunic before walking over to the couch and pressing a kiss to her lips. Laura hums and kisses him back gently, closing the book in her lap. Bill takes a seat next to her and takes the book out of her lap, looking at the cover, "Finally getting around to Dark Day hmm?"

"I am," Laura smiles, laying her head on Bill's shoulder.

"Where's Ror?"

"The kids came and picked her up, they were going over to Cloud 9 for dinner."

"That's nice of them."

"It is," Laura looks up at Bill and smiles, "And we have at least a couple hours alone."

"Even better," Bill murmurs, kissing Laura again, "Dinner?"

"Should be here soon," Laura replies pressing her lips back to his and deepening their kiss. Bill's arm winds around her waist and pulls her closer. Laura hums happily, resting her hand on his chest and playing with the buttons there. She breaks their kiss as someone knocks on the hatch, taking a deep breath with a grin before getting up.

Laura returns with two bowls of noodles, handing one to Bill before resuming her previous seat. She settles into his side before starting to eat. The two eat in compatible silence for a while before Laura takes their empty bowls and places them on the desk, licking some sauce off her thumb absentmindedly before turning to look at Bill. "Walk with me?"

"What did you have in mind?" Bill asks as he stands.

"Just a lap around the ship," Laura says as she takes her husband's hand, leading him out to the corridor before starting to walk at a leisurely place. She leans her head against his shoulder as his arm wraps around her waist, "I'd give anything to take a lap around the Riverwalk right now. You remember the last walk we took after the orchestra?"

"I do. I believe the word magical was used."

"It was. It was very magical."

"I also remember you talking about shoes dropping," Bill comments.

"I can't explain it, but the closer we got to the decommissioning the worse I felt, I mean my stomach was in knots and I had no idea why. When we were on the transport home I felt awful...and then the bombs dropped. And it was probably the worse day of everyone's life, but I finally felt relief. For the first time in weeks, I felt relief."

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" Bill asks, turning them down a less trafficked corridor. Laura shrugs with a soft sigh.

"I don't know, I figured it was because of retiring, all the changes we were going through, that _I_ was going through. I didn't think it was a big deal," Laura reasons as she rests a hand on her stomach, "I couldn't have even imagined any of this would happen."

"I know, I know," Bill says as he presses a kiss to her head. The two finish their walk in relative silence, occasionally pausing to greet people, before they find themselves back at their quarters. Bill holds the door open for Laura and closes it behind them. Laura kicks her shoes off and heads to their rack, changing into a pair of worn fleet sweatpants and one of Bill's shirts. She smiles as she feels her husband's arms slip around her waist, leaning back into his embrace.

"Hi there," Laura murmurs, reaching back to thread her fingers in his hair. Bill presses his lips to her neck and slips his hands under her shirt, cradling her stomach in his hands.

"How they doing in there?"

"Feels like a boxing match today," Laura says with a chuckle. She grabs one of Bill's hands and moves it to the top of her stomach, "Feel it?"

"Mmhm, got some heavyweight champions on our hands."

"Trust me they can go to bed at any time," Laura smiles and turns her head to capture Bill's lips. She turns her body and wraps her arms around his neck as she deepens the kiss. Bill pulls back a moment later, pressing kisses to her jaw.

"We have time?" He murmurs against her skin. Laura tips her watch towards herself and nods with a happy hum in her throat. She pushes herself away a moment later and cups Bill's face in her hands, looking deep into his eyes.

"Are we okay? I feel like we are..." Bill silences Laura with his lips on hers, teasing her mouth with a deep emotional kiss before pulling back and resting his forehead against hers. His hands find a home on her hips as he holds her close.

"We are very okay," Bill murmurs quietly, "We will always be okay."

"I don't ever want to lose you," Laura says tearfully as she strokes his cheek.

"You are never going to lose me. I am always going to be here," Bill assures her, pressing another kiss to her lips. Laura wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him back hungrily. She runs her arms down his biceps before finishing unbuttoning his tunic, running her hands up his chest before pushing the jacket off. She slips her hands under his tanks and pushes them up his chest, breaking her lips from his to take them off.

Laura bites her lip as she runs her fingers over the angry red scar down the middle of his chest before the puckered gun shot wounds. Her brow furrows as her fingers travel to his tattoo, tracing each of the rings slowly. Bill captures her hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing her palm gently.

"I'm here."

"You are," Laura nods and smiles at him before shoving him playfully onto the rack. She takes his boots off before working on his pants, leaving everything piled next to the bed once she has him naked. Bill lays back on his hands grinning up at her. Laura grins back and shakes her head, "You, sir, are absolute trouble."

"Am I?" Bill winks. Laura laughs and sheds the pajamas she had just dressed in before sliding into bed next to him. Bill wraps his arm around her waist, running his fingers over the soft skin of her hips, "I've only learned from the best."

"Mmmm, thank you," Laura grins as she kisses Bill, her hand running over his chest before traveling lower.

* * *

Laura swipes her tongue over her bottom lip as she grins at Bill.

"I feel selfish…great, but selfish," Bill says as Laura slips up his body, tangling her legs with his and laying her head on his shoulder.

"Oh don't worry, I'll get mine," Laura chuckles, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "Besides you know how much I love the taste of you."

"You're going to be the death of me," Bill laughs, capturing Laura's lips as a fist pounds against the hatch.

"Photo finish," Laura whispers in his ear before sliding out of the bed. She pulls the shirt and sweatpants back on before going to answer the knocks.

"Hey Laura," Lee says as he sets Aurora down. Aurora wraps a quick hug around her mother's waist, kissing her stomach before slipping past her into the room.

"Your dad's getting changed!" Laura yells after her daughter before letting the kids in, "Did you guys have a good time?"

"Yeah," Kara says with a smile, walking over to the drink cart and pouring herself a couple fingers of ambrosia, "The nugget liked it."

"She'll probably sleep well tonight, she was running laps around the park," Zak comments, setting Aurora's bag down on the couch.

"How was dinner?"

"Better than the mess," Lee shrugs. Aurora comes running back in and grabs her bag before disappearing again. Laura arches her eyebrow as she looks at the others. Kara shrugs as she takes a drink before handing the cup to Zak. Aurora comes back a moment later holding a vase of flowers in her hands. She holds them up to Laura with a grin.

"I got these for you."

"Oh my goodness, thank you, butterfly," Laura says with a smile as she takes the vase, smelling the flowers, "These are lovely."

"It was Lee's idea," Aurora explains before leaning in and whispering in a not so quiet voice, "He helped me pick them while Kara and Zak were kissing."

Laura laughs as she sets the vase on Bill's desk, taking one last breath before leaning down and kissing Aurora's head.

"What do you think about getting in the shower yourself hmm?"

"I can do that!"

"Okay, say good night to everyone," Laura directs, letting Aurora say goodnight to her brothers and sister before sending her off towards the head.

"So you ran her down, but then you reloaded her with sugar?" Laura asks with an arched eyebrow and a grin.

"She might have had some cake at dinner," Lee admits, sheepishly.

"Other way around, kids," Bill comments as he walks into the room, rubbing a towel over his hair, "Sugar _then_ activity."

"I'm sure we'll get it right next time," Zak grins.

"Thank you again for taking her. She's been so cooped up lately," Laura says as she leans back against the desk.

"Any time. It's good R&R for us too," Kara comments, finishing off the glass of green liquid she'd been sharing with her husband.

"Are you up for the gym tomorrow?" Bill asks Lee. "We've got flight drill at 0900."

"Meet at 0630?"

"Sure," Lee nods.

"Zak, Kara?"

"Sure," Kara says, nudging Zak with her shoulder, "I could use a couple hours of kicking your ass."

"Oh you're gonna kick my ass?"

"Mmhm," Kara nods with a grin.

"Mooooooom, I can't reach my brush," Aurora calls out from the head. Laura rolls her eyes with a smile and sighs as she straightens up.

"I think that's my signal. You guys have a good night."

"Night, Laura," Lee says, stepping forward to kiss her cheek.

"Night, Madame Prez," Kara salutes. Zak stands and wraps Laura in a gentle hug.

"Night," He murmurs gently. Laura pulls back and smiles at him before turning to go help Aurora. Zak rubs the back of his neck before turning to look at his dad. "How's she doing?"

"She's doing okay," Bill nods reassuringly.

"Good."

"We should get going," Lee says pointedly at his brother and Kara.

"Right," Kara says, bouncing up off the couch. She half salutes Bill, "Sir."

"Starbuck." Lee claps Bill on the shoulder before shoving Zak out the hatch, Kara following behind them. Bill closes the hatch and turns it to lock. He flicks off most of the lights as Laura brings Aurora out and tucks her into bed, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Sleep tight, and thank you for the flowers."

"You're welcome," Aurora says with a sleepy grin. Laura smiles and kisses her head once more before turning away and smiling at Bill. She takes his hand and leads him back to their bed, shoving him down much the way she had earlier in the evening, before snuggling up to his side as she climbs in herself. Bill reaches up and turns the light off before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Laura whispers, smiling at him before settling her head down and closing her eyes with a yawn.

* * *

[TBC]


	10. Chapter 10

Laura hums softly as she feels a small hand on her shoulder. She rolls over and opens her eyes slightly, smiling when she sees Aurora lingering by the bed. Aurora coughs and sniffles, rubbing her nose on the back of her hand.

"Hey sweetie..." Laura murmurs.

"I don't feel good," Aurora whispers.

"You don't feel good?" Laura questions, reaching out to brush Aurora's hair back from her face, feeling her forehead, "You are a little warm."

"My nose is stuffy and my throat hurts," Aurora mumbles. Laura lifts Bill's arm away from her waist and slips out of bed. She winces as she stretches out, rubbing her hand along the small of her back as she walks Aurora into the head. She shuffles through the meager bit of personal medicine they had, finding the children's medicine that they had traveled to Galactica with. She gives Aurora a cupful and puts it back, handing her a handful of tissues. Aurora blows her nose and tosses the tissues in the trash. Laura turns off the light and walks Aurora back to her bed before straightening out the blankets and folding them back, "Will you lay with me?"

"Of course," Laura smiles tiredly. Aurora climbs into bed and settles before snuggling back into her mother when she lays down. She sniffles and yawns, letting out a weak cough as her tiny hand rubs back and forth over Laura's stomach.

"Are they asleep?" Aurora asks as she closes her own eyes.

"They are."

"I can't wait to meet them," Aurora whispers with a last yawn, before her hand stills and she falls back to sleep. Laura rubs her back slowly, letting out a yawn of her own before she closes her eyes.

In the morning she wakes up once again as she feels a hand on her shoulder. Bill brushes her hair back from her face and she smiles sleepily.

"Morning," Bill murmurs, "I'm on my way out. She not feeling good?"

Laura shakes her head and reaches over, feeling Aurora's forehead again.

"She has a fever. Said her throat hurt," Laura says as she sits up a little bit, "I think I'm going to stay here with her for the day. She can't go to school like this."

"Okay, I'll call Billy and let him know. And I'll have them send down some soup for her with breakfast."

"Thank you," Laura smiles. Bill leans down and kisses her softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. Laura hums and kisses him back, "I love you."

"I love you too. Call if you need anything."

"I will," Laura nods, watching as Bill finishes buttoning his tunic before heading out of the hatch. Aurora lets out a loud cough and groans, burying her face in her mother's side. Laura runs her fingers through the tangled black hair and leans down to kiss her daughter's forehead, "Come on, let's get some more medicine and we can get in the big bed."

Laura ushers Aurora out of bed and into the head giving her another dose of medicine. They both use the bathroom before going back out and climbing into Bill and Laura's bed. Aurora sprawls out on her father's side of the rack, coughing as she buries her head into his pillow. Laura rubs her back soothingly, watching her sleep until a knock comes at the hatch, signaling the delivery of their breakfast.

* * *

Bill comes back around lunch, shutting the hatch to the room quietly. He smiles when he sees Laura stretched out on the couch, reading a book.

"Where's Aurora?"

"Asleep in the rack," Laura says as she closes her book before sitting up and patting the spot next to her. Bill undoes the couple buttons on the top of his tunic before sitting down next to her, "Her fever's been doing okay on the medicine, but I'll need to go down to Cottle at some point later today and get some more."

"I can stop and get some before I come back for dinner."

"Grape if he has it, she hates..."

"...Hates the cherry," Bill finishes her sentence, "I know."

Laura smiles and reaches up, stroking Bill's cheek. She presses a soft kiss to his lips and brushes his hair back out of his face.

"You're such a good dad."

"Turns you on doesn't it?" Bill grins. Laura rolls her eyes and taps his cheek gently, pressing another kiss to his lips.

"Unfortunately not much does these days," Laura says as she settles into his side, threading their fingers together. Her thumb strokes over his knuckles and she lifts his hand to her lips, pressing her lips to the back of it, "But you...you always do."

"I wish I could take you away, somewhere...anywhere..." Bill murmurs as he presses his lips to her head, "Give you a break from all of this crap."

"You are my break," Laura responds, squeezing his hand with a small smile, "You've always been my break."

Bill presses his lips to her hairline once more, rubbing his hand over her stomach. His hand strokes back and forth slowly as he sits beside her quietly. His hand pauses when he feels a couple kicks against his palm, smiling as he feels them move around.

"I can't believe there's two of them in there."

"I know, it still gets me most days."

"You still feeling okay?" Bill inquires, looking down at Laura. She nods and smiles up at him.

"I am. I'm huge...probably as big as I was when Aurora was born, but I feel good."

"Good," Bill smiles back, pressing a kiss to her lips before looking at his watch, "I should head back. I'll pick up some more medicine on the way home."

"Thank you," Laura says as Bill pushes himself onto his feet. He fastens up his tunic and leans down, pressing a kiss to her lips.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Laura smiles, watching him leave before getting up to go check on Aurora.

* * *

Bill comes back later in the evening with a bottle of medicine in his hands as well as a large bowl of brothy noodles, Zak and Kara following at his heels. He sets the items down on the desk as he hears the shower, going to the rack and finding Aurora sprawled out across the bed. He rubs his hand along her back before swiping her hair away from her face.

"Butterfly..." Aurora grumbles and rolls over, stretching out before opening her eyes and blinking lazily as she smiles at her father.

"Daddy."

"Hi beautiful. How are you feeling?"

"Sick," Aurora says as she coughs, holding her arms up to Bill. He leans down and lifts her into his arms hugging her tight before carrying her to the desk to eat. He tucks a blanket around her and tucks her hair behind her shoulders before giving her a fork to eat with, "Mmm...noodles."

"I thought you'd like that," Bill smiles as he presses a kiss to her head before going into the head as Laura wraps a robe around herself, stepping out of the shower, "Hi."

"Hi."

"I brought back medicine and some soup for Aurora. I was thinking Kara and Zak could sit with her for a little bit and we could go do something."

"Go do something?" Laura asks as she arches an eyebrow, towel drying her hair.

"Yeah," Bill nods, "Go do something."

"Okay...let me get dressed and then we can go...do something."

"Okay," Bill smiles, pressing a kiss to her lips before leaving her to finish getting ready. He talks to Zak and Kara for a little bit before Laura comes out and puts her hand on his back, smiling at their kids.

"How are you two?"

"Good," Zak smiles, "How about you? You look great."

"I'm good," Laura nods, "She just had some medicine about an hour ago. I don't know how long we're going to be gone but if we're not back by nine she can have another dose. Nothing with milk in it and try not to let her wipe her nose on her sleeve. There's a board game I traded for got under the bed, I think she'll like it if she's up for playing."

"We can handle watching her for a couple hours," Kara assures Laura and Bill, "Can't we nugget?"

"Mmhm," Aurora nods as she slurps up a noodle. Laura smiles and kisses her daughter's head before letting Bill guide her out of their room and down the hallways of Galactica.

"Is it any use to ask where we're going?"

"No," Bill grins, looping his arm through hers as they walk. Soon they come to a hatch with two marines standing outside. Bill salutes them before one opens the hatch for them. Bill lets Laura step through before pulling the hatch shut behind them. He spins the lock and brushes his hand over her back before walking past her, "Just stay there for a moment."

Laura nods and runs her hands over her stomach, cradling it as she looks around the room. Bill walks over to a console in the corner of the room and powers it on before starting to type some things out. After a few minutes he flips a switch and presses a few buttons before walking back over to Laura. He rests his hand on the small of her back and guides her further into a room as panels begin to extend before powering on, flickering around a few minutes before a soft glow takes over the room as a recording begins to play.

Laura watches entranced as stars and planets begin to take shape basking them in a blue glow. Bill smiles as he watches her face before looking up himself.

"It looks...It's beautiful."

"It's home," Bill tells her. Laura smiles and looks over at her husband. She presses a kiss to his lips before resting her head on his shoulder. The two stand in a compatible silence for a while before Bill reaches into his pocket and pulls out a remote, pressing a button. Laura laughs as she hears music filter over the speakers, a gentle Virgonese waltz. Bill smiles and tucks the remote back into his pocket before wrapping his arms around Laura, taking her hand in his. He begins to move her across the floor of the observation deck, smiling at her as they dance.

"So this is doing something hmm?"

"This is doing something," Bill replies as he turns her, "What do you think about doing things?"

"I like it," Laura smiles, "I like it a lot."

"Good," Bill smiles, pressing a kiss to her lips as they continue to dance. After a couple hours at the observation deck, Bill walks Laura back to their quarters. She laughs as she sees Zak and Kara passed out on the couch and Aurora sprawled out in her bed.

"Who wore who out?" Bill smiles before going to gather Aurora into a better sleeping position. Laura wakes Zak and Kara up, thanking them for sitting with their sister before walking them out.

"Get some rest," Laura calls before shutting the hatch and turning the lock. Bill tucks the blankets around Aurora before kissing her head and smiling at her.

"Where did you and Mama go?" Aurora asks sleepily.

"Dancing," Bill tells the little girl, rubbing his hand up and down her leg as she yawns and closes her eyes, "We missed you though."

"Miss you too," Aurora mumbles before she falls asleep. Laura smiles and squeezes Bill's shoulder as she stands behind him.

"Do you think she'll forgive me?"

"For what?" Laura asks, a frown taking over her face.

"Being gone all the time...taking you away from her..."

"Bill..." Laura sighs and pulls her husband up off the bed, turning him to face her so she can cup his face in her hands, "She loves you. She loves you so much."

"I feel like I'm abandoning her."

"You're not," Laura assures him, standing up on her toes to press a kiss to his forehead, "You're not."

"You had a good time tonight?" Bill asks, changing the subject.

"I did, I had a great time. Thank you, that's exactly what I needed."

"You're welcome," Bill nods before walking her towards the rack.

"You know what would make this night absolutely perfect?" Laura says as she takes her dress off, grabbing a t-shirt out of their closet. Bill arches his eyebrow and Laura rolls her eyes with a grin, shaking her head after tugging the shirt on, " _That_ would be good, but no...I could really, really go for a pizza right now."

Bill laughs and hangs his blues up before sitting down on the bed.

"A pizza?"

"Cravings don't stop just because we're in space," Laura smiles, sitting down next to him. She nudges her shoulder against his and looks over at him with a smaller smile, "You're doing a great job, Bill...even outside of the circumstances. Our kids... _all_ of our kids are lucky to have you for their dad."

"Thanks," Bill smiles.

* * *

[TBC]


	11. Chapter 11

Laura scribbles her signature across a piece of paper before handing it up to Billy.

"Anything else?"

"I don't think so, we managed to get through everything we needed to," Billy smiles, "And I can get out of your hair."

"You don't have to leave," Laura says as she pushes herself into a sitting position, "I'm going out of my mind being cooped up in here all day."

"Where's Aurora?" Billy inquires as he files everything they'd gone through back into his bag, taking a seat next to his boss.

"School. We finally got her to start going again."

"That's good. I mean not that I minded hanging out with her..." Billy backtracks. Laura laughs and smiles at him.

"I know what you mean. As much as I cried her first day of preschool I eventually came around to the idea of not having her hanging off of me all day. Though your brother was probably the luckier out of the two of you, she was a baby for most of the time she was hanging around at my office. Milk drunk instead of sugar high, still took naps."

"Danny loved her," Billy tells Laura, "Thought she was the cutest thing."

"Do you miss him?" Laura asks, tilting her head to the side.

"Of course. I think I feel a little guilty that I'm here and he's not...he worked for you for so long."

"He did, but he would feel guilty if he was here and you weren't," Laura assures Billy. She looks over as the hatch opens, smiling when she sees Bill with two lunches.

"Commander," Billy says as he stands.

"Billy, it's good to see you," Bill comments before looking at his wife, "She staying put?"

"Yes, sir."

"Bill, he's not my keeper," Laura grouses as she glares.

"I should go," Billy says, excusing himself. Laura looks over at him, her look softening into a smile.

"Thank you for coming, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Have a good afternoon," Billy says before escaping out the hatch. Bill walks over and leans down, kissing Laura's head.

"Hungry?" He offers her one of the bowls.

"Starving," Laura says as she takes the bowl, "Thank you."

"Everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, you worry too much," Laura comments as she starts to power her way through the lunch he had brought her.

"I worry just the right amount," Bill tells Laura as he takes a seat next to her. She smiles and kisses his cheek before finishing her lunch. Bill takes the bowl from her and sets both of them on the desk. Laura pushes herself up and pads over to Bill, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"You aren't supposed to be up."

"Love you too," Laura rumbles against his back before letting him go and heading towards the bathroom with a grimace on her face, "I have to pee. It's been approximately fifteen minutes since the last time I went."

Bill chuckles and shakes his head as he sorts through some of the files on his desk, pulling a couple to the top of the pile.

"Bill!" Bill's head snaps up at Laura's panicked tone before he sprints around the desk towards the head. Laura holds up blood covered fingers to him with panic in her eyes.

"Frak," Bill curses before leaning down and lifting Laura into his arms, "Arm around my neck."

Laura wraps one arm tightly around his neck and shoulder, groaning as she grabs her stomach with her other hand. Bill navigates them out of their quarters before starting to rush his wife towards Life Station.

"Make a hole people!" Bill bellows.

"Bill...take care of them...," Laura whispers before her eyes roll back and her head drops against his shoulder.

"Come on, Laura, don't do this to me," Bill whispers as he turns the corner, using his foot to open the door to Life Station, "Cottle!"

Cottle looks away from the patient he had been talking to, immediately jumping to action.

"Someone grab me a gurney!" He barks out as he sprints over, checking Laura's pulse and pupil reaction before helping Bill get her laid out on the proffered gurney. Bill watches in shock as they wheel her away, immediately starting to prep her for surgery. A moment later a nurse pulls him over and shoves him down onto a stool next to Laura's head.

"Sit, don't touch anything below her neck," The nurse commands him. Bill nods silently and swallows hard, wringing his hands in his lap before reaching out to brush Laura's hair back from her face.

"Don't leave me," Bill whispers quietly, "Don't leave them."

* * *

Bill sits up straighter as he feels Laura's hand tighten around his. He leans over and presses a kiss to her hand before smiling at her as her eyes flutter open.

"Hey beautiful." Laura lets out a dry chuckle before wincing as she tries to sit up.

"Not so fast," Bill tells her. Laura groans as she sinks into her pillows. Bill squeezes her hand, "How are you feeling?"

"Less stretched out," Laura rasps. Bill grabs a glass of water for her, putting the straw between her lips. Laura takes a couple sips before letting go, "Thank you. What happened?"

"Cottle did a c-section, there was some bleeding, they gave you a couple transfusions...I was wondering if you were even gonna wake up," Bill says, holding the cup out for her again, "It's been two days."

"Two days? Are they okay?" Laura asks as she sinks down against the pillows again.

"They are perfectly fine," Bill assures her with a small smile, "Two feisty six pound, eighteen inch boys."

"Boys?"

"Mmhm. Damn near impossible to tell apart."

"I wanna see them."

"Of course," Bill stands wheeling over the bassinet from the end of her bed. He lifts out one of the bundles and settles the baby in Laura's arms.

"He was the first one out," Bill says as he grabs the other boy, sitting on the edge of the bed and holding him up so Laura can see him.

"They're so tiny," Laura comments as she looks down at her son, stroking his cheek gently. She takes in his Tauron complexion and red hair peeking out from underneath the hat on his head. She brushes her fingers over his cheek, noticing how similar he looked to his father. Bill nods in agreement, smiling at Laura. Laura's smile widens as the baby in her arms lets out a big yawn before his eyes open slightly, "Hi my beautiful boy."

"They just had a bottle a bit ago, they'll probably be hungry again here soon."

"What time is it even?" Laura asks, turning her eyes to Bill as her hand reaches out to stroke the other baby's cheek.

"1320," Bill rattles off after looking at his watch, "Mona is going to bring Aurora down once school's done for the day."

"How did the surgery actually go?" Laura asks, "Gods know I feel like I got hit by a truck."

"It went well except for the bleeding. Cottle did a good job, put you back together right," Bill gruffs. Laura rolls her eyes with a small smile.

"Thank you, for getting us down here so fast."

"Just doing my job." Laura curls her finger at Bill, beckoning him closer. Bill leans down closer and she grabs his collar, pressing her lips to his.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Bill murmurs, "Any ideas on names for these boys?"

"Alexander and Liam," Laura suggests, looking at the little boy in her arms, "Strong names for strong boys."

"Liam?" Bill questions, "That's..."

"Short for William," Laura nods, smiling at her husband, "It's not quite a junior, but I like it...Do you?"

"I do," Bill smiles, "Thank you. So, Liam and Alex...which one is which?"

"What do you think?" Laura asks, looking at the boys. Bill shifts his hold on the baby and looks down at him.

"I don't know I'm pretty partial to this guy...this is Liam?" Laura nods and smiles, looking down as Alex lets out a single angry yell, "What's that all about little bug?"

Bill looks down as Liam starts to cry as well.

"Gods, they're just going to play off of each other aren't they?"

"Two that are one," Laura comments as she kisses Alex's head before settling him at her chest. She holds out her arm for Liam, getting him settled opposite his brother, "This is going to be fun at two am."

"We'll get a system down once we get settled," Bill comments as he strokes Alex's hair.

* * *

Laura sits up and settles Aurora between her legs before setting Liam into his sister's arms.

"He's so little," Aurora whispers.

"They are. You have to be very careful with them for now," Laura warns quietly, resting her hand on Aurora's leg before turning her eyes to Bill and smiling. Bill smiles back at her as he holds Alex.

"Are you going to be able to take me to the park now?" Aurora asks as she looks up at her mother.

"Soon, I still need to finish getting better," Laura tells Aurora as she kisses her head gently, "But I can't wait to take you to the park."

"When are you going to come home?"

"Two days. I'll be home with the boys before you get back from school," Laura assures Aurora. She runs her fingers gently through her daughter's hair as she watches her with her brother. Eventually, she trades out Liam for Alex, letting Aurora hold him for a while before the little girl yawns.

"Mmm, I think it's someone's bedtime," Laura comments as she takes Alex and lays him down in the bassinet. Aurora turns around and sits up on her knees as she wraps her arms around Laura.

"Can't I just sleep here?"

"I wish my darling butterfly," Laura murmurs as she kisses her daughter's head, squeezing her close, "Dad's going to take you home and tuck you in. And he'll bring you back in the morning before you go to school."

"I love you."

"I love you too. Sleep tight," Laura says, kissing Aurora once more before letting her go. Bill puts Liam down and holds his hands out to Aurora, lifting her onto his hip. He leans over and kisses Laura quickly before straightening.

"Get some rest, you need it."

"I will," Laura assures him, waving at Aurora as they slip out of the cordoned off area before yawning herself and covering her mouth. Cottle pops his head in with Laura's chart in his hands and Laura smiles tiredly at him.

"Surprised I haven't seen more of you today."

"Well the worst is over," Cottle says as he jots down her vitals before checking her incision, "How have you been feeling?"

"Much better."

"I'm going to have a nurse come and get you moving around. I'd like you to get at least a lap in, two would be great," Cottle explains before checking on the boys, "They're nursing okay?"

"Mmhm," Laura nods.

"That's the last surgery I'm performing on your family, young lady, I better not see any of you in here again before we land this damn thing," Cottle threatens as he looks at Laura.

"Yes, sir," Laura salutes with a bemused grin.

"I'll come back after your walk and make sure you're set for the night."

"Thank you," Laura nods, her grin turning into a thankful smile.

* * *

[TBC]


	12. Chapter 12

Laura turns on her heel and flashes a glance at Bill as she talks in a low voice.

"I have a bad feeling about her," She murmurs, watching as Admiral Cain breezes past and onto Galactica. Bill locks eyes with her in agreement before following behind the Pegasus crew. She turns her eyes to Lee and Kara, shaking her head in despair before leaving the flight deck. She makes a beeline for their quarters, meeting up with Billy along the way.

"I want an inventory of the Pegasus' provisions, and see what we can start sending out to the fleet."

"Of course."

"And if possible I'd like to meet with the Admiral and the Commander to review our current flight plans."

"I will get something scheduled for later this afternoon."

"And Billy?" Laura asks, stopping the boy at the hatch outside of her quarters.

"Yeah?"

"Keep your ear to the ground, I wanna know what's been going on on the Pegasus."

"I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you," Laura smiles, "Give me an hour, and we'll touch base?" Billy nods and offers a smile before walking off at a fast pace. Laura slips into her quarters and smiles as she greets the medic they had taken on to watch the boys when needed.

"Corporal Bires, how were they?"

"Just complete angels, sir," The young brunette replies with a small smile, "They're just waking up from their naps."

Laura strides over to the crib and smiles as she leans over, finding the boys curled around each other, just starting to wake up. She strokes both of their heads before kissing their temples.

"Thank you so much for staying with them."

"Of course, it's no problem at all. Is there anything else you need?"

"I think that will be all for today," Laura tells her as she picks up Alex, pressing a kiss to his cheek as she cuddles him close.

"Have a good afternoon," The Corporal replies before leaving the room. Laura sways with Alex for a moment before dipping her free arm in the crib and picking up Liam.

"I bet you two are ready for lunch," Laura tells them as she sinks down onto the couch, managing to get both of them latched on before sinking against the cushions, "You know, it would be nice if we could manage to go a couple weeks without a crisis."

Two pairs of sleepy blue eyes look up at her, uninterested in anything their mother was saying.

"I suppose as long as I continue to show up for meal time, you two don't think it's a crisis. You're probably right," Laura smiles at them.

* * *

Laura lays the boys down in their crib, smiling as they find each other and snuggle up. She watches them for a moment before grabbing a velvet box off of the desk, and mouthing a thank you to Mona before sliding out the door, walking brusquely towards the Ward Room.

Laura thanks the marine that opens the door, happy to see Bill sitting in one of the chairs inside. She shuts the door and hits the velvet box against the palm of her hand, taking a couple short strides towards the table that Bill was sitting at.

"Hi."

"Hi," Bill says standing.

"Sit," Laura says, taking the seat across from him and crossing her legs as the velvet box sits in her lap, "So, how did the cylon manage to get off the Pegasus undetected?"

"No one really knows. There was so much chaos in the aftermath of the attack," Bill replies, leaning back slightly more informally.

"Thankfully you did not have to do what I advised. That makes me very happy," Laura smiles.

"Yes, thankfully. How are you feeling?" Bill inquires, tilting his head slightly, realizing that Laura had been on full time since the Pegasus had shown up. The boys were only a couple weeks old, and yet here she was, back in her high heels commanding the fleet like nothing had happened.

"I could sleep for about a year. But you, however, do not have that luxury because you have a new job…Rumor has it that I know very little about military protocol even after being married to a soldier for five years, but I do believe that someone who commands more than one ship is called an admiral. Congratulations, Admiral Adama," Laura takes the box from her lap and hands it over to Bill. Bill looks at his wife quizzically before opening the box and gazing on the admiral pins inside.

"Laura…"

"Ah, ah, ah," Laura chastises.

"Excuse me, _Madame President_ ," Bill says looking up at Laura.

"I do love it when you call me that," Laura grins. Bill rolls his eyes as he looks back down at the box in his hands.

"I'd given up on getting these."

"I know, but I think a lesson we've learned a lot the last six months has been…never give up hope. You're their Admiral, Bill…you're my Admiral. And I should have made that official once we started to run," Laura tells Bill. She takes the box from Bill's hands and sets it on the table, taking the pins out. She removes his commander pins before replacing them with the new ones.

"And just think, I almost retired," Bill jokes as he looks up at her. Laura laughs and runs her hand over his cheek.

"Very true," Laura grins and kisses Bill softly.

"Kissing the Admiral, Madame President?"

"Mmm, promotion gift," Laura grins before holding her hands out Bill, "Come on, let the President walk you home."

Bill laughs and takes her hands as he stands up. Laura wraps her arm through his, walking at a leisurely pace with him towards their quarters.

"I was thinking we could take the kids to Cloud 9 tomorrow, maybe have dinner?"

"I think that is a great idea."

"You know we're going to need a pretty big cabin when we find Earth to fit all these damn kids we have in it," Laura laughs as she leans her head against his shoulder.

"We'll have the best cabin, find a nice little lake with water as clear as glass, and I'm still going to get some skinny dipping out of you."

"You sure you still want to see me naked, three kids later?"

"Oh most definitely," Bill smiles and nudges her.

"Good, cause I still want to see you naked three kids later, or wait five, five kids later in your case," Laura teases.

"Is that a snub to my good looks?"

"Not at all," Laura says as she kisses Bill's cheek, "You are still as handsome as you were the day I met you, if not more so."

"I think you get more beautiful every day," Bill comments as they pause in front of their quarters. Laura smiles up at him and squeezes his hand.

"You are very, very biased, Mr. Adama," Laura murmurs as she leans up on her toes and kisses him before pushing him through the hatch only to immediately be assaulted with cries from the twins. Aurora was on the couch with her head buried under a pillow and Mona was trying to unsuccessfully calm both of the boys.

"I didn't think you meant a literal package deal," Mona says with a desperate look on her face. Laura laughs softly and kicks her shoes off before padding over and taking Alex first, shushing him as she presses kisses to his cheek and hair.

"Shhh," Laura murmurs, rubbing his back gently as she calms him down, "You're okay, little bug…"

Eventually Alex stops crying, blinking wet eyelashes as he looks up at Laura. She smiles and nuzzles his cheek, letting a small hum out. Magically, Liam stops crying as well, earning a breath of relief from Mona.

"Alex is the catalyst out of the two of them," Laura explains, reaching out to take Liam and pressing a kiss to his cheek, "Isn't he, bub?"

"Seriously, I just had to calm one of them down?"

"Mmhm. Liam doesn't cry. He makes one angry sound, and that's it. Unless Alex is crying and then all hell breaks loose."

"Can we take them back?" Aurora asks as she pulls her head out from under the pillow. Laura chuckles and shakes her head.

"No we can't take them back. They will grow out of it," Laura assures her before directing her with a flick of her head, "Come on, back in bed."

"So, Bill, I heard you got promoted," Mona teases, reaching out to look at the pins that had been bestowed upon him.

"Apparently our president thinks I'm capable of leading a fleet," Bill jokes back, winking as Laura throws a narrow eyed look at him.

"Never did trust her," Mona jokes before pulling her hand back, "But really, congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I am going to go to bed in my baby free quarters. I will see you tomorrow."

"Night, Mon," Laura calls out, flicking her hair over her shoulder and out of Alex's grasp. She lays both of the boys down, shushing Alex as his nose wrinkles, "You just calm down for a moment."

Laura leans down and kisses Aurora's head as she tucks her back in. Aurora yawns and sighs as she snuggles back up.

"Sleep," Laura murmurs as she strokes her fingers through Aurora's hair once, gently massaging her scalp. She sits with her until the little girl falls asleep, slowly standing as not to disturb her. She grabs both of the boys before heading to the rack, laying both of them down on the bed and changing into her pajamas. Laura climbs into bed and pulls Alex onto her chest before laying Liam at her side, sighing as both of them sprawl out and snuggle up.

Bill comes out of the head, freshly showered in boxers and tanks before climbing into bed next to her and the boys. He strokes Liam's hair, lifting him onto his chest and presses a kiss to the boy's head before reaching up and turning the light off.

"Okay?"

"Mmm, very okay," Laura assures him, leaning over to press a kiss to her husband's lips before settling her head against her pillow.

* * *

[TBC]


	13. Chapter 13

"Billy?" Laura stops the young boy before he can leave for the evening.

"Yes, Madame President?" Bill says as he arches his eyebrow, holding a couple folders in his hands.

"Um…I just wanted to thank you for everything that you've been doing for me, for the fleet, just in general."

"Oh…it's no problem," Billy says, his cheeks starting to color.

"I mean it, I really appreciate it," Laura reiterates, rounding her desk before wrapping her arms around the tall boy. She squeezes him tight before letting him go, "You know what? Give me these, they can wait until tomorrow."

Laura takes the files out of his hand, putting them back on her desk before smiling at him.

"Listen some of the kids are going over to Cloud Nine tonight, you should join them, take a night off."

"I…That's not…"

"I won't take no for an answer. Go, have fun, and I don't want to see you back here until 0800 and you better have a hang over," Laura comments as she shoves him out the door.

"Okay, okay, I'll go," Billy says, putting space between them, smiling down at his boss, "I'll go."

"Good," Laura smiles, "Good night."

"Good night, Madame President," Billy replies before slipping out the hatch. Laura smiles as she shuts the hatch behind him, locking it before her bare feet carry her across the floor into her husband's arms.

"You're late," Bill grouses before pressing his lips to hers, hungrily.

"Mmm I am, I'm sorry," Laura murmurs against his lips before looking over his shoulder to make sure the boys were still asleep before, hooking her fingers in his tunic and pulling him back towards the rack. Laura quickly undresses her husband before shoving him down onto the bed. With a practiced hand she divests herself of her skirt and top, losing her underwear along the way as well.

Laura slips into bed next to Bill and kisses him hungrily as her hand slips between them, fondling his half hard member with a happy hum. She strokes him with a firm hand, bringing him to full mast. Bill uses his weight to shift their positions, pushing Laura onto her back as he hovers over her.

Laura captures his lips with hers, kissing him hungrily. Bill pulls her hand out from between them and pins it above her head. Laura arches into him with a moan as his free hand drifts, skimming over her side. His lips move away from hers and he presses wet kisses to her jaw and down her neck, nipping hungrily.

"Gods," Laura whimpers as his mouth assaults her nerve endings. She uses her free hand to push at his shoulder, rolling them over so she's sitting astride his hips. She grins victoriously down at him, wiggling her hips playfully. Bill slaps at her backside.

"Tease," Bill growls, arching up against her. Laura groans and grinds back down against him.

"Don't pick a fight you can't w-in," Laura falters as he rocks back against her.

"Oh I can win," Bill says, his hands running up her thighs. Laura sits up straighter, arching her back as she unsnaps her bra and tosses it to the side.

"I've missed you," Bill comments, his hands drifting up over her stomach and sides before cupping her breasts in both of his calloused palms. Laura bites her lip as her eyes slip closed, a hum sitting in the back of her throat. He massages the tender flesh gently, his thumbs brushing over her nipples. Laura opens her eyes and looks down at him with pools of liquid green desire. She digs her nails into his chest and flashes her eyes at him as she grinds down against him.

Bill's hand move back to her hips, nudging her to sit up. Laura moves up onto her knees and Bill shifts a hand between them, stroking her thoroughly before guiding Laura down on him. Both of them groan in sync as they come together. Laura leans down and kisses Bill, her hair creating an auburn veil around them. Bill's hands run up her back as he bucks up against her teasingly. Laura shifts her hips, starting to move over him slowly.

Bill grips her hip with one hand as he moves with her, meeting her thrust for thrust. He trails his free hand softly over her body, tantalizing her nerves with the extra stimulation. Laura grabs his hand in hers, threading their fingers together. She squeezes his hand tight as her mouth drops open.

"Frak," She whispers, her head starting to swim. Bill bites playfully at her knuckle, watching her face as he moves.

"Tell me what you need," Bill rasps, bucking up hard against her.

"More," Laura groans, rocking back hard against him. Bill shifts and deposits her on the bed next to him. Laura whimpers at the loss of him, looking up with questioning eyes.

"On your knees," Bill says as he slaps her ass.

"Oooh," Laura giggles before rolling over, sitting up on her knees. Bill sits behind her and playfully slaps her ass again. Laura moans and shifts her hips back against his, clenching the pillow in her hands.

"Mmm we might have to explore that later," Bill murmurs as he kisses her shoulder. He shifts his hips against her, sliding back into her depths. Laura groans and pushes back against him, her head dropping down. Bill teases her with slow but firm strokes, not giving in as she grinds impatiently back against him.

"Gods Bill. Harder," Laura whimpers, her eyes clenched shut as she bites her lip.

"What harder?" Bill asks as he wraps an arm around her waist, moving his fingertips around her wet heat. Laura lets out a moan as his finger brushes over her clit before moving away.

"Frak me harder," Laura grounds out, trying to push her hips back against him.

"Frak me harder…?" Bill repeats, brushing his finger back over her again.

"Please," Laura begs, practically ready to fall apart in his hands already. Bill grins and begins to massage his fingers firmly against her as his hips speed up, moving against her hard and fast. Laura only manages to make it a few more thrusts before she buries her face in the pillow and cries out, her arms giving way and leaving her only bent at the waist. Bill slows his own hips and gives her a break as she works through her release. Laura turns her head to the side and pants gently.

"Frak," She says with a chuckle.

"Good?" Bill inquires. Laura nods as she pushes herself up, pressing her back to his front.

"You are quite the talented man," She tells him with a kiss, reaching back to tangle her fingers in his hair. She nudges her hips against him, encouraging him that she was ok for him to move again. Bill buries his face into her neck as he moves his hips against hers. He wraps an arm around her middle and cups her breast in his hand again, massaging the flesh. Laura moans and tilts her neck to the side for him. She squeezes him internally and tightens her hand in his hair, pulling his head back so she can kiss him again.

"I know you're close," she whispers, tugging his bottom lip with her teeth.

Bill groans and pulls her tight against him as he empties into her. Laura gasps and arches her back as an aftershock rolls through her system. The two of them sink down to the bed, Bill staying spooned against Laura's back, his arms wrapped around her. Laura releases her hold on his hair and strokes her fingertips against his cheek gently with a hum as her eyes slip closed.

"Listen to that," Laura murmurs quietly.

"What?"

"Silence," Laura grins, snuggling back against Bill's chest.

"Mmm, that is a rarity," Bill comments as his hand strokes her hip, "Let's enjoy it."

They had only made it through an hour of enjoying the quiet before Bill got the call about the hostage situation on Cloud 9. They'd spent most of the night focusing their efforts on an event that hadn't had the greatest outcome, and their paths diverged. He was focused on Lee and Laura was focused on Billy. When he caught up with her in the morgue, it was the darkest he'd seen her. After giving her a few moments he dutifully wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head before taking her back to their quarters.

Bill locks the hatch and walks her over to the rack. He quietly undresses her and puts her in a pair of tanks and shorts before tucking her in. He presses a kiss to her forehead and gets up to go finish some work. Laura's hand snaps out and grabs his.

"Stay," she croaks quietly. Bill nods and undresses before getting in bed next to her. He wraps his arms around her body as she lays her head on his chest. Laura lets out a shuddering breath, clenching Bill's tanks in her hand, trying to furiously blink the tears away.

"He was so young…," she whispers before her shoulders start to shake. Bill rubs her back gently, shushing her. After a little while the shaking stops and he feels her body relax as she drifts off to sleep. Bill sighs and runs a hand through his hair before flicking the light off. He shuffles down to lay next to Laura and closes his own eyes.

The next morning Bill wakes as he feels Laura climbing back into bed, frowning when he doesn't feel her body against his. He cracks an eye open surprised to find Laura watching him, sitting up at the other end of the bunk. Her hair was still ruffled from sleep and her eyes slightly red and puffy.

"I think it's the first time in six months I could use a frakking cigarette."

"I'm sure Cottle would let you bum one," Bill tells her. Laura cracks a small smile, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"Is this what we are now? Rabid animals snapping at each other, going for the kill? There's less than 50,000 of us left…at this pace…" Laura trails off, shaking her head as tears well in her eyes. Bill puts his hand on her leg and squeezes.

"That's not what we are. We didn't get to hand pick the fleet we were given. And tensions are running high. But that's not what we are." Laura nods quietly and rubs the back of her hand under her eyes, sitting up a little straighter.

"I should get dressed."

"Laur, take a day off," Bill says softly, stroking her thigh. Laura shakes her head as she slips out of the rack and straightens up. Bill looks up at her, concerned.

"I just…need a little bit of time alone," Laura grabs a new outfit from the closet and goes into the head. She comes out a few minutes later, ready for work. She puts the tanks and shorts in the laundry and steps into her shoes before picking up the files she'd brought the day before. She leans down and kisses Bill's forehead.

"Bires will be here in half an hour, they just ate," she murmurs before heading out the hatch.

The next few weeks Laura was withdrawn and quiet. She put a brave face on for Aurora and was gentle and soft with the boys, slept dutifully next to Bill with a respectable space between them, and trained Billy's replacement, Tory.

After Baltar had announced he was running against her in the wake of the abortion scandal, Bill hand found her sprawled out in bed with a sleeping Aurora nestled against her on one side and both of the boys on her chest. Her hand was stroking along Alex' back in an absentminded manor as she stared up at the ceiling.

"If there is one thing that I campaigned on almost as hard as education it was choice. I threatened Richard time and time again if he _ever_ rolled over on it I would walk faster than the ink would dry on the bill. And what did I just do? I rolled," Laura takes a deep shuddering breath as tears run down her temples, "I rolled over and I feel frakking sick about it."

Bill sits on the edge of the bed and stills her hand on Alex' back, covering it with his own. Laura finally flicks her eyes towards him, their green depths pulsing with sadness and disgust.

"I hate what I've become," Laura whimpers before quiet sobs rack her body.

The first time Bill saw a genuine smile out of her was during her debate prep. He'd walked into their quarters to find torn notecards scattered all over the floor. Bill fixes himself a drink and smiles as the boys each giggle as the pieces of paper flutter by.

"Can I ask what you're doing besides making a mess?"

"Memorizing talking points," Laura comments, her tongue snaking out of her mouth as she reads the next card before tearing it in half and tossing the pieces away, "I used to do it before committee hearings. Memorize the point, tear the card, and…let the pieces fall where they may. Of course I used to do it in the office and not at home."

"Mmm. My father used to break pencils in court."

"I picked it up from him," Laura comments as she continues, "Always carried a back up box of pencils to give back to the court reporter."

"What if they didn't have a pencil?"

"Then he was screwed," Laura says as a spontaneous chuckle bubbles up. She covers her mouth with a wide eyed look as a second one comes. Bill grins as he takes a sip of his drink.

"Oh gods," Laura giggles again, "I used to get the giggles before debates in…"

Bill chuckles himself as she bursts into a fit of giggles.

"…in high school," Laura manages to choke out before another set of giggles bubble up. They both look over as Tory opens the door, telling them that it was time to go. Bill finishes his drink and stands, walking over to his wife and offering his arm. Laura reaches out to grab it, practically doubling over in laughter. Bill tucks her close as he guides her out the hatch, the marines closing it behind them, muffling the peels of laughter coming from the redhead.

* * *

Laura jolts out of a sound sleep, lifting her head from it's spot snuggled into Bill's shoulder just before the phone rings. She waits for Bill to finish talking before resting a finger over his lips as he opens his mouth to speak.

"We can't…we can't do this. We can't settle there."

"How did you…"

"We _can't_ settle there," Laura impresses before letting him go, "I'll meet you down in the CIC."

"Okay," Bill nods, slipping out of bed and pulling his blues back on, rubbing his eyes tiredly before starting to button his tunic as he slips through the hatch. Laura takes a moment before getting out of bed and grabbing a pair of pants and a shirt. She grabs the handset and has Corporal Bires paged before changing out of her pajamas.

Laura's feet carry her into the living area and she leans over the boys' crib, stroking their backs gently. She pulls her hand back and straightens as the hatch opens, smiling at the Corporal. The Corporal salutes before proceeding into the quarters.

"Thank you for coming, Amanda."

"Of course. Is it true? They found a planet?"

"That's what I'm going to go find out," Laura tells her, a false smile spreading across her lips, "They might wake up in an hour, I'm hoping to be back before then."

"Take your time," The Corporal smiles. Laura grabs her glasses before heading through the hatch herself.

* * *

[TBC]


	14. Chapter 14

Laura laughs as she chases the boys through the corridor, their peels of laughter echoing the empty Galactica halls. She snatches both of them up by the back of their overalls as she catches up to them before settling one on each hip as she walks into the CIC. She sets Alex on the console as she keeps a hold on Liam, pressing a kiss to Bill's lips.

"Anything I can bring you back?" Laura inquires as Bill takes Liam, setting him next to his brother.

"I don't think so," Bill comments with a smile, kissing Laura again. She takes a moment to indulge in his lips before pulling back with a smile.

"Ror and I should be back by dinner, and maybe bedtime could come a little early tonight?" Laura murmurs quietly as she hooks a finger in his tunic, her eyes widening suggestively at him.

"I think an early bed time sounds very doable. These nuggets will just have to take some laps with their old man."

"Good," Laura says before pressing one more kiss to Bill's lips, "I love you."

"I love you too. I'll see you later."

"Buh bye!" Alex calls out. Laura smiles and presses a kiss to each of their cheeks.

"Mama will be back later okay? Don't drive Papa too crazy," Laura winks at Bill before leaving the CIC, stopping back by their quarters to pick up Aurora. The two make their way towards the flight deck and climb into a raptor with a few other soldiers that were going on a shore leave.

"We just have to stop by the school first and then we'll have the rest of the day okay?" Laura assures her daughter as she makes sure she's buckled in. Aurora nods with a smile, excited at the prospect of having a day alone on New Caprica with her mother.

* * *

Laura clutches Aurora's back to her with a firm hand wrapped around her shoulders as she watches the cylons descend on New Caprica, everyones eyes locked on the sky. Aurora looks up at her with a worried look in her eyes.

"We need to go find your brother," Laura whispers, pulling Aurora through the school tent and out the other side, trying to remember how to find Zak and Kara's tent.

"Where's Dad?" Aurora inquires as they walk the muddy paths of the settlement.

"If he has any sense he left with Lee," Laura tells Aurora, shoving her into the familiar tent once they find it.

"Laura! What the frak are you doing here? Where are the boys? Where's Dad?" Zak asks, pulling the redhead into a hug before wrapping an arm around Aurora.

"Aurora and I came down for the day. I left the boys with your dad..." Laura explains, a quake to her voice, "He jumped away right? Please tell me he jumped away."

"Let me see what I can find out," Zak says, letting Aurora go before grabbing a radio he had and trying to get more information, "You didn't see Kar did you?"

"No. Not on our way over here, where was she?"

"Down at the market," Zak comments, before listening to the transmission he was getting back, "Before the Dradis was scrambled, Galactica and Pegasus jumped along with the remaining orbiting fleet."

"He's coming back right?" Aurora asks, tugging on Laura's sweater. Laura locks eyes with Zak before looking down at Aurora.

"Of course, Dad always comes back remember?" Laura assures her daughter, stroking her cheek gently. Aurora nods and buries her face into Laura's stomach. Laura wraps her arms around Aurora, looking at Zak with desperation.

* * *

Laura listens quietly to the hum of the centurions walking past the tents, on patrol. They had been stranded on New Caprica with the cylons for almost three and a half months, and the sound of their mechanical legs passing by the tent never ceased to put a knot of unease in her stomach. She looks down as Aurora rolls over in their cot, staying nestled between her mother and the wall of the tent.

They had devised a resistance movement. Something to keep the cylons at bay until Galactica was able to come back for them. Laura and Aurora stayed with Zak after the invasion. Kara had been taken, and they had been taking care to keep Aurora out of the cylons eyes lest she be used as a bargaining chip against them.

Laura's ears perk up as she hears a unit of centurions stop, listening closely to determine what was going on before letting out a cry as she feels herself dragged out of bed and masked before being carried out of the tent. She struggles in her captor's grasp as Aurora screams after her. She manages to get out a yell for Zak before she's clubbed over the head and knocked out.

18 days. It had been 18 days since she had last seen Aurora. Since she had been dragged out of her bed and knocked out before being interred in the cylon detention facility. And now she was on a truck to god knows where to probably be shot.

Laura winces as the bag over her head is torn off, exposing her eyes to the bright sunlight. Figures her last day on this miserable planet it would be sunny. She fares a glance at Tom Zarek as they are shoved down to their knees.

"Guess we've worn out our welcome," Laura comments quietly.

"Guess so," Tom replies, looking over at the woman to his left, "Should have let you steal the election."

"Hindsight," Laura replies. Her eyes close as she feels the cool barrel of a rifle press against the back of her head. She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly, attempting to accept her fate yet only hearing her daughter's screams ring in her ears.

Shots ring out across the flats and Laura's eyes snap open as the world goes sideways, the handler of the gun that had been pressed against her head slumping down against her body, trapping her in the dust. She tries to fight off the body as best she can before she's freed by Tyrol.

"Chief, thank gods," Laura comments as he lifts her off the ground before cutting her binds, "What's going on?"

"We're going home," Tyrol directs her, grabbing her arm before dragging her back towards the settlement, "The Old Man's coming back _now_."

Laura picks up her speed, jogging at pace behind the Chief as he runs point on their group. Once they get back to the settlement, all hell had broken loose. The centurions, cylon, and NCPD were attempting to quell the uprising of people trying to get back to their grounded fleet ships.

"Jumper, you stay on her!" Tyrol commands as Laura takes off for Colonial One, picking off a couple centurions before the ships start spooling their FTLs and jumping away one by one as they are filled to the brim with escaping citizens. Laura gravitates into the cockpit as they linger, letting as many people load on as possible.

"Once we get to the rendezvous, we need to dock on Galactica as soon as possible," Laura commands as her hands dig into the leather of the captain's seats.

"Of course. We need to leave or we're not going to get out of here."

"Jump!"

* * *

Once they manage to dock on Galactica, Laura sprints out to the flight deck. Worried green eyes scan the flight deck, looking for anyone familiar. She spots Zak and takes off through the crowd, shoving people out of the way in an effort to get to him.

"Zak!" Laura calls out, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away from Kara, "Where is she?"

"Gods Laura..."

"Where is your sister?!" Laura yells, her only concern at the moment being finding Aurora. They would regroup as a family later.

"She's with Dad," Zak points off to the back corner of the deck. Laura manages to keep moving forward, shoving her way through the crowd. She drops down to her knees, immediately bursting in to tears when she sees Aurora nestled on Bill's lap along with the boys. Aurora catches Laura's movement out of the corner of her eye, launching off of Bill's lap and sprinting over to her.

"Mama!" Aurora throws herself into Laura's arms, wrapping her arms tight around her mother's neck. Laura wraps her arms tight around Aurora, squeezing her close.

"Oh thank gods," Laura murmurs, stroking Aurora's hair as her tears soak the little girl's shirt. She pulls back slightly after a moment, pushing Aurora's black locks out of her face, "Are you okay?"

Aurora nods as Laura wipes the tears from both of their faces.

"I am so sorry. I never meant to leave you, I never ever meant to leave you," Laura whispers as she visually checks her daughter over. Aurora nods and wraps her arms back around Laura, hugging her close. Laura kisses her head once more before letting her go in exchange for the boys.

"Hi my sweet boys," Laura croaks out as she gathers them in her arms, "My goodness you've gotten so big."

"Miss you!" Both of the boys echo as Laura holds them close. She presses her lips to each of their heads, inhaling their scents before letting them go and taking Bill's hand to pull herself up. He pulls her directly into his arms, crushing her to his body.

"I prayed for you, every day I prayed you would come back," Laura whispers into his shoulder, a stray sob shaking her body. Bill rubs his hand down her back and presses his lips to hers in a deep kiss, tears mixing across both of their cheeks. The deck quiets as the comm system crackles on.

"Be advised. All ships accounted for. Repeat. All ships accounted for." The entire deck bursts into cheers and Laura laughs as Bill is swept up on the shoulders of Zak and Lee, the cheers turning over to a chant as their Admiral is lifted above them.

"A-DAM-A! A-DAM-A! A-DAM-A! A-DAM-A!" Laura sinks down onto a crate and pulls Aurora between her legs before lifting the boys onto her knees, holding the three of them closes as they watch.

Later that evening the kids were asleep in the rack and Zak, Lee, and Kara had left, leaving Laura and Bill curled up on the couch. Her head was nestled in it's familiar spot on his shoulder, their hands intertwined on his chest.

"I never want to be away from them…ever again. I spent eighteen days away from her, and over a hundred away from the boys…away from you," Laura whispers as she looks up at Bill, breaking the silence.

"Works just fine for me…I'm never letting you out of my sight," Bill tells her, kissing her lips gently, "Seems bad things have a tendency to happen when you go off on your own."

"Seems they do," Laura murmurs, wrapping an arm around him and snuggling close, "But I know this guy who always seems to swoop in and save me at the last minute."

"It's pretty nice of him," Bill comments. Laura lets out a small laugh as she closes her eyes. Bill's hand trails up and down her back, his thumb massaging along her spine, "You know what I'm thinking about?"

"Mmm?" Laura hums quietly.

"Last time we were apart for that long," Bill tells her quietly, "I remember what you were wearing when I left you and when I came back. I remember the smell of your perfume mixed with the Riverwalk. I remember being very surprised when I saw you."

"Seems like another life time," Laura comments, "I can't believe it's been almost…seven years?"

"Just about," Bill agrees. He squeezes Laura after a moment, putting his feet back down on the floor, "Come on. Let's go join the kids."

Laura pulls herself out of her husband's grasp, standing up from the couch. She offers him a hand up, gently tugging him back towards the rack. She slides into the bed next to the kids, kissing each of their heads before pulling the blankets up. Bill slides in behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"This rack isn't going to be big enough for the five of us soon."

"For tonight, it works," Laura comments as she covers Bill's arm with her own, her eyes starting to drift closed.

* * *

[TBC]


	15. Chapter 15

Laura looks up at Bill after Lee and Helo leave. She takes her glasses off and sets them on the desk with a soft sigh.

"I think I would like to talk to Athena before I make any decisions about biological warfare," Laura requests, looking up at Bill.

"I can have her brought over in the morning," Bill offers. Laura shakes her head as she clips her glasses on her shirt, standing from her desk.

"I'll talk to her on Galactica. Give her a little home field advantage."

"Of course."

"What do you think of the idea?" Laura asks as she tugs on her shoes and shrugs on her blazer, flicking her hair out from underneath the collar. Bill shrugs as he hands her her bag.

"It's a solution to a lot of our problems…but I can also see the alternative view, it's decimating an entire race," Bill comments.

"An entire race that is out to kill us…they're ours to take care of, we made them," Laura points out as they walk to their transport.

"We did. But at this point do we consider them errant children to be wrangled back in?"

"I don't know," Laura answers as she takes a seat across from Bill in the back of the raptor, "We'll find out."

"I'm sure we will."

* * *

Laura's thumb trails over the sacred text. She tucks the pictures she kept in the book back in to mark her place before closing it. She sets the book on her desk and sighs before picking up her phone.

"Galactica Actual, please."

"Go for Actual."

"Is this a military decision or a political one?"

"I'd make the case that it's both."

"I want to see if there is an alternative solution. If there's a way to take the ones that…care. The ones like Athena…and bring them into the fleet. And attack the ones that see no possible future with humans."

"I can hardly call up the basestar and ask if anyone wants to jump ship."

"There are cylons, that give a frak. And there are those that don't."

"And there are sleepers that don't even know they're cylons."

"So what do we do?"

"It's all about your authorization, Madame President."

"You have my authorization, Admiral. I defer to you as to whether or not you use it," Laura replies before hanging up the phone.

* * *

"The air filtration was reversed…sucked the oxygen out."

"I think there's something to be said about the sabotage," Laura comments as she takes a drink of the amber liquid her husband had poured for her, "That maybe we need to change tactic some how."

"Change tactic?"

"There are cylons that want to live alongside us, and there are those that don't. It's the exact same on our side. Maybe we start focusing our offensive energy on the people interested in harmony than those in mutual destruction."

"Maybe we do need to change tactic," Bill concedes, draining his glass before setting it down. Laura nods quietly before draining her own glass with a wince, "Another?"

"No, can't throw it back like I used to," Laura grins.

"That's okay, you can still throw plenty of things back," Bill winks. Laura laughs and shakes her head, abandoning her glass on the coffee table before standing up. She pads over to their closet, digging around in the bottom for a moment before triumphantly pulling out a slim, hand rolled cigar and a lighter. She clips off the end and slides it between her lips before lighting it, taking a long inhale to get it going. She holds in the smoke as she walks over to Bill, offering the cigar to him as she exhales.

"Might as well take advantage of the alone time," She reasons as he takes the burning stick from her, bringing it to his own mouth. Bill raises his eyebrows in agreement as he inhales. Laura hikes her skirt up, straddling his lap as her fingers undo the first few buttons on his tunic. Bill lifts his chin to exhale away from her face, holding the cigar between his fingers as he wraps his arm around her waist, the smoke filtering up through the air behind her.

"How are you doing?" He asks, his other hand brushing her hair from her face.

"Getting back into the groove of things," Laura comments.

"You know what I mean," Bill comments. Laura pulls his hand back around to the front, taking the cigar from him. She takes a long drag as she looks him in the eye, studying carefully. She takes the cigar into her hand and rests it on the back of his chair, exhaling slowly.

"I felt violated. They physically dragged me away from my daughter. They took me from you, our sons…for four months. I was still nursing them! And the pain that I physically felt couldn't even begin to quantify the emotional pain I felt, feeling that connection just slipping away from me…All I wanted to do was hold them close, and I couldn't," Laura tells him, taking another drag as her hand shakes slightly, "I know that I'm lucky, that we are lucky, after everything that happened, but I still can't help feeling that little bit of…whatever nagging in my head every time I hold them at night, every time I send her off to school."

"Do you remember what I told you when I proposed?" Bill asks as he takes a puff off the cigar, stubbing it out to put both hands around her waist.

"Care to remind me?" Laura inquires, her hands stroking through the hair at the base of his neck, an ease settling in her eyes as the effects of their smoking start to take hold.

"You have completely and utterly infiltrated every ounce of my heart and my soul…that bit."

"It does ring a bell," Laura comments with a small smile, resting her head against his.

"Our kids have completely and utterly infiltrated every ounce of your heart and soul. You live for them. Anything you've ever done since the day they were born has been for them," Bill tells her as he reaches up to tangle his fingers in her hair, "And you have the exact same effect on them. All the boys wanted was you, the first thing Aurora asked me was if I had seen you. You're their mother, Laura. You don't have to worry about connecting with them. You will always be connected to them."

"What about you?" Laura asks, ignoring the tears gathered in her eyes.

"What about me?"

"Who worries about you?"

"You do. You always will. But they will always come first. And they should," Bill tells her, squeezing her hips. Laura sighs and lets her body sink against his, her head resting on his shoulder. Bill's arms wrap around her and hold her close, pressing a kiss to her head, "You're a great mother, and our kids are lucky to have you."

"How did I get so lucky to have you?" Laura mumbles into his shoulder.

"Maybe the same thing I did to get you," Bill tells her, his lips curling into a smile against her temple. Laura pulls back a few moments later, resting her hands on Bill's chest to hold herself up. She studies him for a moment with a low lidded eye.

"Can we?"

"Of course," Bill murmurs. He shifts forward in his chair and tightens his hold around her waist as he stands, carrying her to their rack. He drops her onto the bed with a soft puff of the blankets, grinning as she lets out a small giggle. Bill sheds his clothes before beginning to remove hers, nudging her back onto the bed once they're both naked. His hand skims up her leg as he settles between her thighs, pressing his lips to hers in a lazy kiss, "I love you."

* * *

Laura sidles up next to Bill, easily wrapping her arm through his as they stand next to the ring.

"There you are."

"Hey, I thought you were staying in with the kids."

"You know I never miss a good fight," Laura comments with a smile before pointing behind her where the kids were sitting on the edge of the causeway, their legs dangling over the edge as they cheer on with the crowd under the watchful eye of Mona, "Not that _someone_ told me there was a good fight going on."

"Don't take it personally."

"Oh I don't," Laura grins at her husband before turning her eyes back to the ring, "What's the setup?"

"There's a lot of frustration on a battlestar…and frustrations evolve into grudges," Bill explains, "Tonight is about venting those frustrations. Rank doesn't matter, you throw your tags in the box and get yours."

"Did you throw your tags in?"

"No," Bill smiles, "This isn't my fight…besides I don't think I could fight my way through the entire crew to vent all of my frustrations."

"Oh I think you'd get through a good chunk of them," Laura smiles, squeezing his arm and looking up as Kara climbs into the ring, "Not the smartest hot dog in the pack."

Bill laughs and turns his eyes to the fight. The two watch the next couple rounds in relative silence, enjoying what seemed to be a moment of normalcy. Tigh goes to pull another set of tags out of the box instead pulling out a ring.

"Oh who the frak put a ring in the box?" Murmurs stumble through the crowd as Laura climbs the steps to the ring, slipping easily between the ropes before taking the ring out of Tigh's hand.

"I did," Laura comments handing the ring to Kara as the murmurs increase, "Admiral?"

"You sure about that?" Kara asks as she shakes out a set of wraps. Laura nods as she sheds her shirt, leaving her in a fleet issue sports bra and joggers. She drapes the shirt over the corner post and pulls her hair into a bun before holding her hands out to Kara to wrap.

"Make 'em tight."

"Sir, yes, sir," Kara comments with a grin, casting a look across the ring at her husband as he and Lee wrap their father's wrists. Kara finishes wrapping Laura's wrists, slipping her hands into two black gloves before offering her a mouth guard, "Ready for this?"

Laura nods as she takes the plastic in her mouth, setting it in her jaw. Kara takes her mother in law's glasses off, tucking them next to her shirt. Laura bounces on her feet a couple times, clapping her gloves together.

Bill shoots a semi amused glance at his wife as the bell dings, finding his face rushing to meet the floor as her left hook clocks him in the face. Laura looks down at him as he blinks widely to clear his vision for a moment.

"Is that how you vent your frustrations?" Laura taunts, letting him back up. The couple manage to tangle successfully across the floor of the ring, well timed bobbing and weaving lending it self to their years long relationship, of knowing each other so deeply.

Eventually the exhaustion settled in, swings had no power behind them. Neither landed the final blow, there didn't need to be one. They simply stood in the middle of the ring, propping each other up. Laura pulls back as Tigh calls a draw. She claps her husband against the head softly as she winks at him, retreating to her own corner. Kara pulls her gloves off and Laura thanks her before spitting out her mouth guard.

"You kicked the old man's ass."

"Oh don't worry, he got his licks in," Laura comments, rinsing her mouth out before undoing her wraps. She grabs her shirt and glasses, sliding her ring back on before taking Bill's hand as she climbs out of the ring.

"Wanna go patch each other up?"

"I might even let you pour me a drink," Laura smiles, following her husband out of the flight deck. They soon find themselves in their quarters with a first aid kit between them, the kids playing on the carpet next to them. Laura winces as he swipes antiseptic over her split brow before putting a butterfly closure over it.

"That's about as good as it's going to get."

"Thank you," Laura murmurs, kissing his lips gently before taking the kit from him, starting to patch his own wounds up, "You know I didn't think I'd manage to goad you into hitting me back."

"Well you laid me out pretty quick, I figured you were serious," Bill responds as Laura swipes ointment over a couple wounds. Laura grins and places a couple closures on the cut on his cheek.

"I was very serious," Laura assures Bill, pressing a loving kiss to the wound she'd dressed, "I also feel much less frustrated than I did before we got in that ring, what about you?"

"Surprisingly I do too."

"Good," Laura smiles, stroking Bill's hair back out of his face. Bill smiles back at her, leaning forward to capture her lips again.

"You two are weird," Aurora comments from the floor, causing Laura to break her lips from Bill with a laugh.

"I think I can live with that."

* * *

Zak had thrown the first punch after Kara hadn't come back. Bill and Laura had been alerted of the fight on the deck as soon as Lee had gotten out of his viper. Zak had been in an inconsolable rage as he waited for him and the deck crew knew that there was going to be an altercation.

"Hey!" Laura raises her voice as she steps between the two facing Zak as Bill took Lee, "Cool it!"

"He practically…" Zak starts yelling, trying to advance on his brother again. Laura puts a firm hand to his shoulder and pushes him back as she narrows his eyes.

"Zak! Let's go, now," Laura directs, pushing him back further, "Go!"

"Laura, she's…"

"I know," Laura comments, directing him off the deck and back to his quarters. Zak sinks down onto the bed before burying his face in his hands, his shoulders wracking with sobs. Laura wraps her arms around him as she sits down next to him.

"She's gone," Zak wails as he cries into her shoulder. Laura rubs her hand up and down his back, resting her cheek against his hair.

"I know she is…I know," Laura murmurs, her own voice cracking, a tear rolling down her cheek. She sits quietly with him for a while, her hand trailing over his back as he cries. Eventually Zak pulls away, rubbing his hands over his eyes and letting a shuddering breath out. Laura runs her fingers through his hair, her finger tips massaging his scalp, "Do you want me to do anything? Get you anything?"

"No…I just want to go to bed…maybe this will be a terrible dream."

"I wish it was," Laura comments as she nudges him down onto the bed. She tugs his boots off before tossing the blankets over him.

"You don't have to…"

"I know I don't," Laura comments as she sits on the edge of the bed, looking down at him, "Nothing I've ever done for you, your brother, or Kara has been out of obligation. I love you Zak. I love Kara…and I'm so sorry that you have to experience that loss."

"Thank you," Zak says, sighing as he drops his head down to his pillow. Laura smiles sadly at him, cupping his cheek gently. She presses a kiss to his head before standing and leaving his quarters. She meets Bill in the corridor and wraps her arms around him, burying her face to his chest. Bill wraps his arms around her and squeezes her tight before guiding her towards their quarters.

"What are we going to tell the kids?" Laura whispers.

* * *

[TBC]


	16. Chapter 16

Laura frowns as she finds herself walking down the hallway of an opera house. The turquoise dress she was wearing, swished gently as she clacked her way down the red carpet. Her head turns when she hears giggling, peering over the wall and down towards the stairs, her eyes widening when she sees the boys running down the stairs, hand in hand.

"Lex…Liam," Laura calls, picking up her speed once again as she tries to catch up with them, their giggles ringing through the ornate building.

"Alex…" Laura calls again as she rounds the corner, trying to see if she could see them again, looking up when she sees someone across the way from her, surprised to see her husband in his flight suit. They both approach the edge and look down, seeing the boys walk out into the main area. Laura starts running again, Bill taking up foot too. They both reach the atrium just as the Caprican Six picks Alex up, taking Liam's hand, leading them into the concert hall.

Laura snaps out of her deep sleep, taking a deep breath as she looks towards the ceiling. She looks over to see if Bill had woken up before dropping her head back and closing her eyes as she lets out a long sigh, feeling pain start to settle behind her eyes again. She hadn't had a migraine since she'd given birth to the boys, and yet they were back it seemed, along with the weird dreams they'd brought.

Laura lays quietly for a moment before slipping out of bed and going to the closet. She digs through her toiletries for a moment before managing to find an old yellowed pill bottle at the bottom of her makeup bag. She shakes out a couple of the small white pills before putting the bottle back, leaving it on top this time. Laura tosses the pills into her mouth, crushing them with her teeth before grabbing the glass of water by the bed and taking a large drink.

The redhead slips quietly back into bed, snuggling up to Bill as his arm goes to wraps around her automatically. She closes her eyes as she breathes in his scent, finding calm in the familiar spice as she slowly finds her way back to sleep.

* * *

"This case is going to tear our family apart," Laura says quietly, taking the last drag off of the cigar that her and Mona had been sharing, "We've made it all this way and Gaius Baltar is going to tear our family apart."

"Laur…"

"Kara's gone, Lee quit to defend that frakker, the headaches are back, and the dreams, gods don't get me started on the dreams," Laura shakes her head as she rests her forehead against her knees, "I can't go out there and testify again."

"You're going to do fine," Mona comforts pulling Laura's back to her chest and wrapping her arms around her. She presses a kiss to her head and sighs as she strokes her hair. Laura sits quietly for a moment, letting her eyes slip closed at the contact.

As her body starts to relax she finds herself back in the opera house, following her same path as the last time. Her and Bill lunge towards the closing door as the Six leads their sons away from them, a jolt runs through her body as she snaps back to reality.

"Hey, relax, you're okay," Mona comforts, shushing her gently. Laura sighs as her body slumps.

"I should go."

"Let me walk you down there," Mona says as she lets Laura go, standing with her. Laura nods wrapping her arm around her friend's as they slip through the hatch, making their way down to the court room. Outside, Mona squeezes Laura's arm and looks down at her, "Don't let them see you sweat."

"Thank you," Laura smiles slightly before disappearing into the room.

* * *

Bill sighs as he pulls the razor over the final pass of his shave, wincing as he nicks his jaw. He sets the razor down and grabs a piece of toilet paper, pressing it to the wound. As he looks to the mirror to asses the situation he finds himself looking down the hallway of the opera house, his feet carrying him towards his sons' giggles. He's surprised to see Laura across the way, both of them trying to get closer to the boys before the Six can close the door.

Bill jolts out of his vision as he hears Laura scream, stepping away from the sink before going into the main quarters. He finds her standing above a shattered glass, the kids staring at their mother with wide eyes. Laura snaps her head to the left, looking at her husband with wild eyes.

"Were you just…"

"The opera house?" Bill finishes. Laura nods, staring at him for a moment before opening her mouth.

"Um, let me clean this up," Laura comments, grabbing a rag to clean the broken glass up before cursing as she cuts her thumb, stuffing the bleeding digit in her mouth.

"Let me get it," Bill says taking the rag from her and making sure all the glass is cleaned up as Laura keeps her thumb in her mouth. She wraps her free arm around the boys holding them close. Aurora gets up off the floor and goes to the bathroom getting a bandaid before bringing it out to Laura.

"Thank you butterfly," Laura says as she takes her thumb from her mouth, assessing the damage before reaching out to take the bandaid.

"I can do it," Aurora says as she opens it up, carefully fitting it around her mother's thumb before smiling and pressing a kiss to it, "Better?"

"Much much better," Laura smiles, pulling Aurora into the fold and kissing her head, managing to let the uncertainty of the opera house fade for a moment.

* * *

"I get that it's Kara, Bill...but she needs to be put in the brig. I don't want to believe it but she could be playing all of us," Laura says, looking between Bill and Lee, "We need to protect ourselves until we are certain that it is Kara."

Bill and Lee share a look before the older looks at the marines that were with them, nodding slightly. The marines disperse, leaving the small group alone. Laura rests her hand on Bill's bicep and squeezes before moving to leave the flight deck with Tory, their paths diverging outside the hatch. Laura meanders her way down to the brig and motions to the marine to let her in to see the Six.

* * *

Laura wrings out a warm compress before grabbing a blanket and heading to the living area. The kids had taken over the rack for an afternoon nap, leaving their mother to the couch. She tucks her feet under the blanket and lays the compress over her eyes before sighing happily as the warm darkness envelops her mind, lulling her into a light nap herself.

Her ears perk up as she hears the hatch an hour later, reaching up to grab the compress from her eyes. Her eyes blink harshly a couple times trying to refocus her vision as she sees a blonde figure headed towards her. Eventually her vision clears in time to realize it was Kara, hearing the gun in her hand get racked before finding herself staring down the barrel.

"I want to hate you so much..." Kara says, her voice low, but her grip on the gun sure, "You had a vision and I listened. I went back to Caprica, I went down to Kobol, and a lot of good people died because of that vision, remember?"

"Of course I do," Laura lets out on a breath.

"I trusted you. On a vision...and I saw Earth, with my own eyes. And we're going the wrong way," Kara's arm begins to lower as she looks at Laura, a sad look in her eyes, "Why can't you trust me?"

Laura swallows, watching as Kara lifts the gun again offering it to her.

"You don't want to trust me? You think I'm a cylon? Then shoot me."

"Kara...what the frak are you doing?" Laura whispers. Kara shoves the gun into her hand, forcing her fingers to curl around the hilt.

"If you're not going to trust me then shoot me!" Kara yells, her eyes turning angry. Laura grips the gun tighter and backhands Kara with it, knocking her to the ground. She drops to the floor herself, a firm knee pressing to Kara's chest as she points the pistol at her.

"Are you so far gone that you don't value your own life anymore? How dare you pull a gun on me. Let alone in front of my children."

"We're going the wrong way!" Laura shifts her aim a few inches and pulls the trigger, emptying the round into the ground right next to Kara's head. Her grip loosens and she drops the pistol to the ground as Kara bursts into sobs, the hatch slamming open as marines swarm in with Tigh and Helo, Bill hot on their heels, "We're going the wrong way!"

Bill lifts Laura from Kara's body, cupping her cheek and catching her eye. He tries to hold her attention as the marines try to wrangle the distraught blonde.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Laura shrugs him off, with a shake of her shoulder and head, noticing the kids lingering in the doorway with wide eyes. She wrangles them back to the rack, getting them to lay back down before sitting down next to them.

"What were they doing with Kara?" Aurora asks, a tremble in her voice.

"Taking her to get help," Laura assures her, a fake smile spreading across her lips as her eyes flick to Bill's, trying to swallow past the knot in her throat.

* * *

"What are you thinking about?" Laura asks, wrapping her arm around Bill's shoulders and resting her chin on the top of his head, watching as he plucks the Aurora figurine from the front of his model ship, rolling it in his fingers.

"Kara," Bill says as he lays the figurine down on the table, not placing it back on the ship, "What happened? Where did we go wrong?"

"We didn't go wrong anywhere, Bill...Kara had been lost before all of this happened. And nothing you, Zak, or I could have done would have changed that," Laura tries to reassure him, squeezing him with the arm she had around him. Bill sighs and drops his head back to her shoulder, his eyes closing.

"We could have done more...couldn't we?"

"I don't know that we could've," Laura murmurs, letting him go to take the chair next to the desk, tugging her robe tighter around her body. She was watching him, but his eyes never lifted to hers.

"What if she's meant to help us and we're making a mistake? What if convincing you was more important than anything else?" Bill asks, his hand reaching out to cover hers, their fingers tangling together gently, "You're the one guiding this whole thing..."

"She pulled a gun on me in front of our children, Bill. That hardly says, please trust me," Laura comments, "If it is Kara..."

"It's Kara," Bill says, finally looking up, "I can't believe anything else."

"Either way she needs help. And that's not help I can give her right now," Laura says, pulling her hand away and resting it in her lap with the other, "You're afraid of loss Bill...You've lost Lee from your crew, Zak is distant, and Kara comes back...it seems like the perfect circumstance to start putting the family back together."

"I am not," Bill says, his eyes hardening.

"Yeah you are," Laura insists, tilting her head as she looks at him, "I don't blame you, but if Kara loses again she's going to be taking us down with her. You've been in that Opera House Bill..."

"I know," He grunts. He reaches back out to take Laura's hand again, squeezing it gently, "Come on...it's been a long day."

"Are you okay?" Laura asks, as she stands, holding onto his hand still. Bill nods quietly, turning off his desk lamp before standing, walking with her to their rack.

* * *

"Have you actually lost your mind?" Laura accosts Bill as she comes upon him in the corridor. Bill looks up from the papers in his hand, finding Laura with her hand on her hip, glaring at him over the rim of her glasses. He side steps her as he heads into the ward room, shutting the hatch after she follows.

"You want to tell me what you're talking about?"

"The Demetrius, Kara, Zak, the 20 other people you sent with her. What the frak Bill!"

"It's a second option," Bill replies calmly, taking off his glasses as he looks at her, "Kara gets a chance to pursue her path, we keep pursuing ours. The people I sent with her were the best I could spare. We rendezvous in a couple weeks."

"Zak?"

"He wasn't going to be of any use of us here with her out there, and at least he's happy," Blue meets green and Laura narrows her eyes, staring down her husband for a moment before shaking her head and heading for the hatch.

"I have a quorum meeting," Laura tosses over her shoulder before slamming the heavy door shut.

* * *

[TBC]


	17. Chapter 17

**Note:** This story is starting to draw near to its close - please note we do not make a pitstop at shitty Earth in this story. And a reminder that Sam Anders doesn't exist in this story, and the Dee/Lee story line never happened.

* * *

Bill watched as Laura became more withdrawn, her complexion greying, her eyes dull behind the pain. Eventually the pills that Cottle had been providing stopped working and the migraines became a constant in their lives. He'd never felt more helpless than when he would see a flash of sharp pain across her eyes when the kids would yell while playing, oblivious to their mother's plight.

Late at night, after the kids were tucked in he would make her a warm compress, drape it over her eyes as her head rested in his lap, his fingers massaging gently along her scalp. The first night his finger's hadn't brought her some sense of relief so she could catch a couple hours of sleep she smiled at him reassuringly and rested her head on his shoulder, using the night to enjoy the closeness, the quiet.

Yet, most days the relief wouldn't come any more. She eventually started leaving bed, sifting her way through more work and on occasion taking a break to roam the quiet halls of Galactica. The first time the compress and massage hadn't managed to put her to sleep for a week straight, Laura pulled the cooling cloth away as tears rolled down her her temples, getting lost in her hair.

"It hurts so much," Laura whispers, trying to catch a deep breath, "It hurts so much all the time and I just want it to stop."

"I wish I could make it stop," Bill tells her, his fingers continuing to massage. He sat with her through the night, continuing to run his fingers through her hair, occasionally dabbing tears from her skin. In the morning, Laura sighs and closes her eyes once more as she hears the kids starting to rouse.

"You have to sleep...we can't both be like this," Laura tells Bill, reaching up to brush her fingers across his temple, his tired eyes drooping. He presses a kiss to her palm and stills his hand, disentangling it from her copper locks.

"I'm going to find you Earth," Bill rasps, pressing his lips to her hand once again, nuzzling the gentle hand.

"I never doubted that," Laura murmurs as she watches him, groaning as both of the boys climb onto the bed, elbows and knees poking her soft parts before they settle against her. Laura wipes a hand across her face, getting rid of any evidence of her tears before running her fingers through her sons' hair.

Bill shoos the boys from bed soon enough, telling them he'd be out to get them breakfast soon. Laura shifts her head from his lap and takes her place on her side of the bed. Bill tugs the blanket up around her after standing and leans down to press a kiss to her temple.

"Try to get some rest," He commands softly, stroking her cheek before disappearing to the living area. Laura sighs and closes her eyes, sleep just barely out of her grasp.

* * *

Bill nudges Laura's shoulder gently, breaking her out of her reverie on the pages in front of her on the desk. She looks up at him and straightens her glasses on her nose.

"What's up?"

"Kara's back," Bill gruffs, "With a godsdamn basestar and rogue cylons."

"A basestar and rogue cylons?"

"Yep. Congratulations, crisis number 5,421," Bill comments, offering a hand out to help her out of her chair, "Come on."

"Sir, yes, sir," Laura murmurs, taking her husband's hand before standing, following him out of the ward room and towards the flight deck, "What do we know so far?"

"The twos, eights, and sixes are rebelling - apparently the other models aren't concerned with locating the Final Five if anything they are advocating against it."

"What do they want with us?"

"The Final Five - or at least some of them are in the fleet," Bill explains, opening a hatch for her, "That's all Kara could tell us. There's a group coming over now."

"Where is she?"

"On deck," Bill comments climbing down the stairs to the deck before Laura does. Her heels clack gently against the flight deck floor as her eyes scan the area, finding Kara sitting on a tool kit talking to Zak, both of them with flight suits tied around their waists. She walks over to them and rests a hand on Kara's shoulder squeezing gently. Kara stops talking and turns around, looking up at Laura.

"Madame President."

"I'm glad to see you made it back, Kara. And bearing such a lovely gift," Laura smiles warmly. Kara regards her for a moment before nodding, a hesitant grin coming over her face.

"Least I could do."

* * *

"Where Mama?" Alex asks as he climbs into his father's lap.

"I don't know bub, I'm going to find her though. I'll always find Mama," Bill promises as Liam climbs up as well. Aurora lingers in the doorway, her eyes cast downward as her hair falls forward in a black veil, "Come're butterfly."

"No," Aurora shakes her head, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Aurora…"

"NO!" The little girl yells, shocking Bill.

"Don't yell at your father," Mona reprimands as she moves into the quarters. She picks up the little girl with a small groan, letting her attach them with her limbs.

"I want Mom," Aurora whimpers as she buries her face in Mona's shoulder.

"We are going to find her," Mona assures her, rubbing her back. Aurora continues to hold on, staying quiet as her fingers move back and forth across Mona's collar, trying to calm herself. Mona sinks into the chair next to Bill's desk, keeping her hold on the little girl. After a moment she nudges Aurora and kisses her head, murmuring in her ear. Aurora climbs down and holds both hands out to her brothers.

"Come on." The boys climb down without question, taking Aurora's hands and letting her lead them out of the room. Mona leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees and her chin on her fists.

"So what's the plan?"

"I need to leave. I need to wait for her. And the fleet needs to keep going," Bill tells her, "I need you to keep the kids safe."

"Bill…"

"We've lost every ounce of objectivity we've managed to maintain over the last three years…I can't live without her."

"What about the kids?"

"They have you, Zak…I trust you two. They don't deserve to watch me try to live without her," Bill reasons.

"She'll hate you, for leaving them behind for her."

"It's a risk I'll take," Bill says, standing as the kids come out ready for bed. He tucks the three of them into his and Laura's rack, sitting on the edge and reading them a chapter out of the book they had been working through. Once their eyes are closed and their breathing has evened out he leans down and presses a kiss to each of their heads. He closes the book and sets it on the shelf above the rack, flicking the light off before standing. He grabs another book off his desk before looking down at Mona.

"I will be back. But…"

"Take care of them no matter what," Mona repeats back to him. She stands and wraps her arms around Bill, squeezing him tight. She presses a kiss to his cheek before pulling back, "Bring her home Bill…"

"Yes, sir," Bill rasps, taking one last look at the kids before grabbing his duffel and heading out of the room.

He's not surprised that the first thing she does is haul off and slap him. He should consider himself lucky that she didn't have the strength to punch him, otherwise he'd be laying on the ground. Her hard look softens a moment after her hand cracks across his face, her arms immediately wrapping around his form and latching onto him. Bill wraps his arms around her slim waist and buries his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her unique scent as he rasps out a greeting.

"Missed you too." Laura laughs against his shoulder, squeezing him tight.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Bill comments, "The kids are on Galactica with Mona and Zak, they'll keep them safe until we get back."

"I trust you," Laura comments as she steps back, "You trust me?"

"With my life," Bill replies without hesitation.

"We destroyed the Hub, we have the three…she wants to talk," Laura says, taking Bill's arm and leading him off the deck and through the halls, a centurion following behind them, "Have I ever mentioned how much I love you in a flight suit?"

"I don't think so," Bill smiles. Laura smiles and rests her cheek against his shoulder.

"Well I do."

* * *

They had dealt with the Final Five, they had brought the Rebel Cylons over to their fleet, they had come to accept that Ellen, Saul, Tyrol, Tory, and Dee were the cylons that they had been looking for the whole time. They had talked and talked and talked. And now they were here, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with a giant cylon shaped troll standing at the doorway.

"We need to end this," Laura comments as she stands across from Bill at the planning table. Kara, Lee, Zak, some Cylons, and a host of other people flanked the table, looking at the figures in the middle, "And we need to end it now. Otherwise we are going to lose everything we have been working for the last three years."

"We have a bearing for Earth, but we'd be drawing the cylons to it. There's a colony. Where the non rebel cylons are based. It's on the edge of a black hole in the Illian Nebula," Bill explains, gesturing to the map laid out on the table in front of them.

"We need to attack the colony, take down the cylons before we proceed to Earth," Kara says, stepping up. She begins explaining their attack plan, keeping her eyes locked around the room as she tactfully moves ships back and forth explaining what was planned to happen.

"…We are going to need every frakking person that can even remotely aim a gun or fly a plane available to us. This could very well be a one way trip if things don't go to plan. But as the President mentioned…this is it, this is our end of the line. We don't have anywhere else to go if this doesn't work."

"Battle prep begins at 0500 - jump prep begins at 0900…make sure your teams are ready, tomorrow we fight, one last time," Bill says, looking around the room before looking at Laura. She nods in agreement looking down at the table.

"So say we all."

"So say we all!"

"Dismissed," Bill says, taking Laura's arm and walking back to their quarters with her, "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"I don't know if you've heard but there's supposed to be this huge battle tomorrow…" Laura grins. Bill chuckles and pushes the hatch open, letting her in first before closing it behind himself, "I'm going to hang out down in Life Station, be some kind of help. I'm keeping the kids down there with me."

"Part of me would feel better if you stayed with the fleet…the other part doesn't want you guys that far away."

"Not to sound morbid. But if this doesn't work, if Galactica goes down, they're going to retaliate. You know I would do anything to save our kids, to save us…but I won't let them become cylon play things."

"I know." Laura leans down and picks Aurora up with a groan, smiling as the girl wraps her limbs around her.

"When did you get so big?"

"Two days ago," Aurora smiles. Laura laughs and presses a kiss to her cheek before sitting down on the couch with her.

"I'm going to need your help tomorrow, alright?"

"Doing what?" Aurora asks, playing with Laura's hair.

"We're going to be down in the Life Station with Doctor Cottle and Momo. I need you to help me keep an eye on your brother's okay? Make sure they stay put?"

"Okay, I can do that." Laura smiles and kisses Aurora's head as she squeezes her tight.

"I knew you could."

That night the five of them piled into the rack for bed. Aurora nestled against Bill's side as the boys laid between their parents. Laura lays her arm across the boys, and rests a hand on Bill's chest, stroking gently as she sleeps. This was potentially their last night together as a family and she never wanted it to end.

In the morning, Bill dressed in his reg blues, Laura's fingers deftly buttoning his tunic together before straightening his pins. He straightens out his cuffs and stands straight in front of her.

"Madame President."

"Admiral," Laura rubs her hands up his chest and presses a hard kiss to his lips. She pulls back and lets out a shuddering breath as she squeezes his shoulders, "Good hunting."

"I'll see you after," Bill says, pressing a kiss to her head before going to say goodbye to the kids. After he leaves Laura gets the kids dressed, wrapping each of them in a kevlar vest before starting to herd them down to the Life Station. They stop by the flight deck where Lee and Kara were suiting up and Zak was triaging pilots around the deck with the Chief.

"What do you hear, Starbuck?" Laura asks as she approaches the group.

"Nothing but the rain," Kara grins as she jumps into her suit, tying her sleeves around her waist.

"Grab your gun and bring in the cat."

"Boom, boom, boom," Kara replies before wrapping her arms around Laura. Laura squeezes the blonde as she holds her close. She lets her go after a moment and hugs Zak before hugging Lee. Each of them hugs the kids tight, taking a moment.

"Thank you. For what you are about to do today."

"We're going home after this," Lee says. Kara nods in agreement, leaning into her husband's grasp.

"Good hunting, Captain, Mr. Adama."

"Stay safe," Zak says, ruffling his sister's hair. Laura nods and gets the kids back up the stairs and back on their way to Life Station. She settles them at a desk in the corner, explaining to them that it was imperative that they stay in that spot and don't move.

"I'm not going to leave here without you guys okay? So, stay here."

"Okay, mama," Alex grins already getting his crayons and paper out. Laura smiles and kisses each of their heads before going to talk to Mona and Cottle. Cottle brings her up to speed on the plans and processes before handing over two tubes and an injector.

"If the headache gets too bad - use these, it'll boost your adrenaline and hopefully clear your head," Cottle explains, "Only use one every four hours. It's the last I've got."

"Thank you, Jack," Laura smiles, putting a hand on the older man's arm before going to help Mona continue to prep. She grabs the handset as they start calling in for jump prep, swallowing as Bill's voice crackles over the line.

"Life Station?"

"Ready."

* * *

[TBC]


	18. Chapter 18

Laura sighs as she takes a seat on an empty container, rubbing her hands across her face before grabbing the second vial out of her pocket. She loads it into the injector before jamming it into her forearm and pressing down. She takes a deep breath as she feels the adrenaline flood her system, her cloudy vision starting to clear. She puts the two items in her pocket as she sees a flash of red hair out of the corner of her eye. She looks up and looks around before wading her way over to where the kids were, her eyes widening when she only sees Aurora curled up under the desk taking a nap. Laura shakes the girl's shoulder gently as she looks around, hoping to see a glimpse of the boys.

"Aurora, where are your brothers?"

"Wha?"

"Where are the boys at?"

"I dunno, they were just here. I told them to stay," She says sleepily with a yawn. Laura sighs as she stands, pointing a finger at her daughter.

"Stay put," She commands before ripping off the gown she had been wearing and sprinting out into the corridor. She hears giggles from around the corner to her left and takes off in that direction, following the blurs of red hair as they slip around corners out of her reach.

"Alex! Liam!" Laura yells as she follows them. She eventually catches up to them in a crossway, tugging them behind a stack of crates with a finger to her lips as she hears centurion footsteps starting to get closer. She slips her head around the corner as she hears the footsteps start to disappear, turning back to the boys only to find out that they had disappeared again.

"Frak," Laura whispers, taking off in the only direction they could have gone, her mind instantly transporting her to the Opera House. Laura pauses as she runs into Bill before they both take off down the corridor, watching in terror as the Six picks up Alex and holds her hand out to Liam.

"NO!" Laura yells, trying to run faster as Baltar closes the hatch on them. She bangs her fists against the metal before Bill pulls her off.

"They're going to the CIC, come on," He explains as he takes her hand and pulls her down another corridor, before they burst into the back of the CIC. Laura watches in horror as Liam is snatched away from the Six and a gun is put to his head by Cavil.

Bill pulls her back from racing down the stairs with a hand on her arm. He reaches back and unsecures his sidearm, curling his hand around the grip and descending the stairs slowly himself. He swallows as he watches Baltar negotiate for his son before Saul steps up and offers resurrection in exchange for peace.

As Cavil releases his grip on Liam, Bill snaps his son up by the arm, giving him to Laura as he grabs Alex. Laura sets both of them on empty chairs keeping her body in front of them so they couldn't get away and the cylons couldn't get to them.

Bill shoves them to the ground as the guns start to go off before starting to return fire himself. Laura shoves the boys further under the console they were sitting by, trying to shield them from the cross fire as well as the explosions that were starting to take place throughout the ship.

"Kara get us out of here!" Bill yells out.

"I don't know the rendezvous!" Kara says as she makes her way to the jump console, bracing herself against the rocking of she ship.

"Just...go for Earth!" Bill grunts as he gets tossed against the center console as they jump. He braces himself as one of the towers collapses near him before making his way back up the stairs. Laura grumbles as she rubs her head, swiping blood across her forehead, sighing as she looks up at Bill.

"Well...that went worse than expected," Laura comments wryly before looking at the boys who were huddled together behind her, "You two okay?"

"Yeah," They both respond quietly, nodding in succession. Bill offers Laura a hand up before picking up both of the boys. Liam looks up at his father with wide eyes as he looks around, "Did we do that?"

"No, bub, you didn't do that," Bill assures him before calling out for a sitrep. He sets the boys on top of the main console as everyone starts to mill around. He looks over at Laura as blood trickles down the side of her face from the small wound on her temple, "Why don't you go check on Ror? I've got these two. Probably should have Cottle or Ishay take a look at that."

"I'll be right back," Laura comments as she squeezes his arm before making her way down to Life Station. She finds Aurora sitting on the desk getting her own head patched up by Mona.

"Mom!"

"Hey, butterfly. Quite the pair aren't we?" Laura smiles as she walks closer, checking her daughter over herself.

"Just a small cut on her head, she hit it on the corner of the desk climbing out," Mona comments as she puts a piece of gauze over it, "No stitches or anything."

"Thank you."

"You on the other hand might need a couple," Mona comments as she turns her attention to Laura. Laura winces as Mona swipes a swab over it to clean it up.

"You have the hands of an angel," Laura says sarcastically, as her friend works.

"I can make it hurt more, sassy. I'm sure that would go great with your migraine," Mona comments examining the cleaned wound before taping a butterfly closure over it and coating it in antibacterial cream, "That should do you."

"You know...I think it's gone."

"What?"

"My headache...I mean besides here...," Laura indicates the fresh wound on her head, "...it doesn't really hurt."

"If only we'd thought to knock you over the head sooner," Mona smiles.

"It's not that..." Laura shakes her head before looking at Aurora. She holds out her arms and lifts her daughter down from the desk, pressing a kiss to her cheek, "Come on your brothers' are down in the CIC."

"How did they get all the way down there?"

"They had to be," Laura replies cryptically before leading Aurora down to the CIC. She wraps her arms around the boys before kissing each of their heads and squeezing them tight. Bill puts a hand on her back after he gets done talking to Saul and Kara, "So?"

"The ship is completely broken down. She's never going to make another jump."

"Oh, Bill," Laura murmurs, resting a hand on Bill's bicep.

"But, Kara looked at the scans. Star patterns match with what she saw...what we saw in the tomb."

"We're at Earth," Laura says, a light starting to make it's way back into her eyes.

"Seems we are," Bill smiles, his hand finding hers, their fingers locking together, "We're going to send raptors back to the fleet. Let them know what's going on. But I don't want to pull them forward yet. The surface is populated and who knows what they are capable of."

"It's populated? There's people actually there?" Laura asks, a giddy grin spreading across her face.

"Yeah, from what we can tell, quite a few."

"Where are _we_ sitting?"

"We're still counting...we're down almost a thousand, lost quite a few birds."

"The kids?"

"All accounted for. Lee and Zak are coming up from the deck now," Bill assures her. He looks up as Dee calls out his name.

"Admiral?"

"Lieutenant Dualla."

"We're getting hails from the surface asking us to identify," Dee comments. Bill picks up the handset and holds it to his ear.

"This is the United States Government. Please identify yourselves. Repeat, this is the United States Government. Please identify yourselves."

"You have Galactica Actual on the Battlestar Galactica, by way of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol," Bill replies, squeezing Laura's hand. He swallows as there is a long pause on the other end before the voice comes back over.

"We read you, Galactica Actual. Please stand by for additional direction."

"Copy that, Galactica is on standby," Bill comments before replacing the handset as cheers break out across the deck. Laura laughs as she throws her arms around Bill, pressing her lips to his as she holds him close.

"You did it."

"We did it," Bill corrects, smiling as he wraps his arms around the kids, squeezing them close.

* * *

[The End]

Stay tuned for the next installment of the series starting later this week!


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